The Slow Burn (Part 1): Apprentice
by Sian Khali
Summary: What would happen to Amell, if she was never recruited in the wardens? This is my take on her story. And because I love the slow build-up of a romantic relationship, with a sprinkle of angst and complications added in the mix, it will feature an eventual romance with Cullen. Rated M, just to be on the safe side. Eventual sauciness on the horizon.
1. Chapter 1

**_9:29 DRAGON_**

The Circle's library was Isra's favourite place in the Tower. It was her little oasis of peace and quiet, when she felt like escaping from the confines of her life in the Circle, loosing herself in whatever world a good book could conjure up for her.

Today, she chose a tale, based on the legend of the Black Fox. Engrossed in her book she did not hear her friend Silani approach her, until the little elf sat down next to her.

"Have you heard?"

"Well, Hello to you too Sili." She seemed excited which was nothing unusual. Silani always had a more child-like approach to life, which resulted in endless optimism and abundance of excitement.

"Yes, yes. Hello. Long time, no see. So on and so forth. Have you heard?"

Isra was contemplating whether she should be annoyed at the interruption. Considering the fact that she already read this particular book once before, she decided to go along with the excitement. "Ok. What is it?"

"Mica managed to get us a bottle of Chasind Mead." Sili whispered, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"What?! How?" Alcoholic beverages were usually hard to come by in the Tower, especially if you were an apprentice, so few ever tried. However Sili's eighteenth birthday was soon approaching and she wanted something special - a real party, or at least as real as it could be within the limits of their situation.

"He didn't want to say."

"Really?"

Silani nodded. "Although he was very smug about it. I'm guessing he charmed his way through."

Isra gave out a short laugh. "Oh, most definitely. Knowing him, he probably seduced some Templar with his willy ways."

"We could ask him for the truth after he drinks copious amounts of alcohol."

"Not too copious. We need him only slightly inebriated." Isra said with a wink.

Silani grinned deviously. "Should be fun either way. So it's a deal? Two days from now you get your sneaky ass to the Cove, prepared for drinking and whatever kind of other mayhem we come up with."

"Deal." Isra closed her book. She had some preparations to attend to.

**\- o . O . o -**

The Cove was the name of their secret hide-out. Isra discovered it with Mica while playing when they were very young. Their favourite game they often played as children, consisted of them pretending to be dashing rogues (or pirates, if the inspiration struck) on secret missions, sneaking about the Tower. On one such occasion, they discovered a hidden passage behind one of the statues, placed behind the ornamental fence dividing parts of the Tower's halls. It led to a small cave underneath the tower that was flooded most of the time. It was also apparent that this passage was unknown to the Templars, or else they would have closed it off more permanently. Right before the cave, a level higher, was a small room with one wall clearly added later and thrumming with magic. It was apparent that it served as a protection for whatever was behind it, most likely the Circle's depository.

A few nights later, just as they agreed, Isra carefully snuck out of her dormitories. She was running a bit late, which meant the night shift guard rotation was already in motion and which left her with only a brief window of time to get to her destination. It was a tricky situation, so she made sure she packed along a few books, which could serve as cover if need be. After all an apprentice returning late from her studies, wouldn't arouse that much suspicion. The book also served another purpose, as a camouflage for a bag in which she carried a few cakes and snacks she managed to procure from a tranquil who works in the kitchen.

Carrying the books in her arms and a bag of more "books" on her shoulder, presented a serious challenge when it came to sneaking about, but she managed it. Arriving at the ornamental fence, with the opening just large enough for her to squeeze through, she carefully placed the books on a nearby bookshelf – the entrance to the cove was luckily located just next to the library – freeing herself of a part of her burden.

After making sure she was alone and unnoticed, she quickly and quietly squeezed the bag through the opening and then followed after it. It proved to be just in time, for she suddenly heard voices approaching from the library. Grabbing her bag she quickly crossed the last few steps to the statue and dove into the small opening behind it.

It was a tight fit which proved to be no serious obstacle for children, but as she grew, it started to pose a problem. So long as she could maintain her slender build, she could squeeze through it without too much trouble, but her breasts were starting to show, with no regards to the wishes of their owner. Mica and Sili were both elves, so it meant they could still pass through narrower obstacles without problems, being willowy and small. Isra on the other hand, had no such luxury. With puberty came changes and those changes were prone to cause problems one way or another.

The fact that she had to bind her breasts very tight in order to still visit their childhood hideout seemed to amuse her elven friends to no end. But to her, it also posed a new set of problems in regards to the Templars. The great majority of them were male and some of them had a tendency to stare to the point of indecency. To those few, the rule which proposed that mages must be watched constantly, served only as a convenient excuse.

Isra found it appalling and dangerous. It was never good to be remembered by the Templars, since a few could take offence (usually imagined) or even develop untoward interest and act on it. Those cases usually ended with the mage drawing the shorter end of the straw. Because of that fact of life of a Circle's mage, she took great care to appear as plain as possible, to deter any possible interest. She was also very careful not to stand out in any way shape or form, be it during the lessons or examinations of their magical prowess. Being ordinary was something Isra managed to develop into an art form.

"Oh good. You're finally here." The relief in Silani's eyes was palpable, when she noticed her entering the little room.

"There were minor complications. But! I am here. And I've brought some tasty loot." Isra opened the bag with a flourish.

"Oh! Strawberry cakes!" Mica was already rummaging around the bag, taking out cakes one by one.

"And Chocolate. And a few with Caramel filling." Isra continued counting. "I also threw in a few salty snacks, just in case. Oh and a bit of ham. And bread of course."

Mica was grinning from ear to ear, admiring all the food gathered on the table. "You're just too good to be true!"

"I agree. How did you get all of this?" Silani asked through a mouthful. She was already enthusiastically stuffing her face with one of the chocolate cakes.

"I have my ways." Isra answered in her best imitation of Mica's mysterious smile.

He burst out laughing. "Close. But not close enough. You lack the charm."

"I'll get there. Eventually." Isra answered with a wink. "Just be ready when I do. You'll be out of business in no time."

"We'll see about that." He replied, mirroring her wink.

"Oh stop it you two already. I'd swear this was a dick-measuring contest, if I didn't know for a fact that Isra is a woman."

"You know that for a fact, do you?" Mica's grin widened "Tell me about it."

The only response he received was a cupcake flying into his general direction. He dogged it effortlessly.

"Mind in the gutter." Silani murmured quietly.

"Well it's your fault for giving me ideas. You started it! Dirty woman." He continued laughing. It was clear that he was just teasing, yet it was also apparent to Isra that he enjoyed it nonetheless.

"How many drinks have you two had already?" Apparently she arrived even later than she thought.

"A few."

"Enough. Apparently." Sili replied with a deadly stare intended for Mica. His laughter only intensified at her response.

"Right. Pour me a glass then. Apparently I have some catching up to do."

**\- o . O . o –**

An hour later the celebration was well underway. Isra felt a little bit tipsy and she took it as a sign to slowly stop with the drinking. She would, after all, have to make a return journey. Letting her hair out of her bun, she laid back. "Oh, I'm stuffed."

"Tell me about it." Mica was next to her, holding his tummy.

The cakes were all gone, she noticed with satisfaction. At least she wouldn't have to drag a bag full of sweets back. The only one still drinking was Sili, a huge smile on her face, retelling a story when Jowan, who lacked any decent spatial orientation, accidently walked straight into a Templar meeting.

"It took him forever to remember the way to the dining hall!"

Isra giggled at the memory. "The Knight-Commander was so angry. I was terrified he'd lock up the silly fool."

"Pfft. The Knight-Commander is always angry." interjected Mica "I used to wonder if something terrible happened to his facial muscles. I had even developed a theory. It involved Fen'Harel and a couple of dwarfs, but alas I do not think it held up to any kind of rational examination."

Isra was laughing hard by now. He explained the theory once to her, when they were younger and it was still funny. Mica originally came from a Dalish clan, before the Templars captured him as a young boy. It was a sad tale, which he never fully shared with her, but he told her enough of the stories their Hahren shared with the youngest of the clan.

"Poor Fen'Harel. He's always guilty of something."

"According to few elves, he is guilty of everything." He answered with a grin.

"Of course he is. Back to the really important subject of the Knight-Commander's face. Do you think he trains his facial expressions in front of a mirror?" Sili seemed genially serious, which caused Isra to succumb to a new laughing fit.

"Right! The important subject! The real question one should ask themselves when faced with this predicament, is do all Templars do that?" Mica said, visibly straining with keeping a straight face.

"Perhaps it's a requirement? Only the recruits with the mightiest frown get the job?" Isra managed to calm down enough to say this, but her efforts were short lived as all three burst out laughing at the idea.

Silani was the first to calm down, staring pensively at the bottle in front of her. She filled their glasses with the last of the mead, lifting her own. "To friends who make this life bearable!"

"Cheers! To your health! May you have the world at your feet!" Mica cheered, draining his glass.

Silani giggled in response "I'd like that!"

"To all of the above! And to a bright future with us beside you! Cheers Sili!" Isra added with a wink and a smile, emptying her own glass.

**\- o . O . o -**

They returned to their dormitories an hour later. Mica and Silani departed first. Silani had her fair share of alcohol and Mica offered to help her back, if only to prevent her from crashing into noisy objects.

If worse came to pass they could pretend to be carless lovers, Mica explained to Isra with a wry smile, causing Silani to burst out in a fit of giggles. Isra knew that Silani had a crush on Mica when she was younger. That was actually how they met. When it turned out later that Mica was not interested in the female attention of that sort, the inflation slowly dissipated and only friendship remained. But it was apparent to Isra that the thought still amused Silani. Isra decided to wait for a bit, so they could avoid being caught together. The explaining would be awkward as it is.

While waiting for the appropriate amount of time to pass, since the departure of her two friends, she went to the partly flooded cave and made her best effort to refresh herself. She had to prepare for the journey back to her dormitory and the last thing she needed to be was tipsy, while sneaking about Templar filled corridors.

Sitting idly near the water she began thinking of Jowan. He used to hang out with them a lot – especially with Mica – but in the last year he had distanced himself from their company. He was still friendly, but he refused almost every invitation to hang out with them. His explanations and excuses varied, but most based around the fact that he needed to study. It made her wonder about the true reason behind his absence. She knew he was hiding something – she knew him enough, to know that he was bad at lying – and it made her wonder what it was. Only recently she heard a few rumours regarding blood magic and apprentices. She sincerely hoped Jowan didn't manage to get himself involved. Still, his behaviour was weird enough to make her wonder.

Deciding enough time has passed Isra stood up and made ready to leave. She made her way back slowly and carefully, taking extra care to keep to the shadows. The last thing she expected was to see another shadow sneak about, yet she saw it.

Isra froze in mid step. She was still hidden in the deep shadows behind the ornamental divider, invisible to anyone on the hallway. The shadow apparently didn't notice her, but what intrigued Isra the most was its identity. She could swear it was Jowan. It was a suspicious coincidence that he shows up, sneaking about, moments after she was contemplating his strange behaviour.

Isra stood still, deliberating. Inside her raged a battle of wills between curiosity and her rational mind, which screamed at her to return to the dormitories while the coast was still clear. And yet the possibility of finally finding out what Jowan was up to, was simply too appealing for her own good.

In the end the curiosity won and she peeled herself from the wall, quietly following in Jowan's footsteps. She knew she would probably regret this decision later, she only prayed that the consequences would not be disastrous in the end.


	2. Chapter 2

Isra caught up with Jowan right before he reached the stairs to the upper level. Careful of any Templars she slowly crawled her way behind him.

He seemed to be unaware of her presence as he carefully crossed the hallways of the upper floor. Still, he was not as skilled at sneaking about as she was, Isra noted as she observed her friend. He hid in the shadows well enough, but he was very bad at choosing the side of his approach. Staying on the outer rim of the circular hallways, he could be seen by an approaching Templar, if he wasn't careful. Even though the inside rim was better lit, it also provided perfect hide spots next to the statues. If one moved quickly and quietly on the inner rim, it was possible to stay completely unnoticed, due to the obstructed line of sight. It also offered a better view of the hallway, so it was possible to see the approaching Templars before they saw you. Combined with the knowledge of the pattern of their patrols (which were pretty easy to predict, if one took the time to observe), it was possible to stay out of sight and remain completely invisible.

Jowan however seemed impatient. As soon as he crossed the staircase leading to the first floor, his pace increased and he became more reckless. Isra mentally chided him and willed him to slow down, but to no avail. If this thing went south and he was found, she would have to manage to get back unnoticed before him and the Templars holding him. The problem lied in the fact that their bunks were next to each other, so her absence would be noticed. As a precaution she always piled all of her robes under the covers whenever she decided to go sneaking about, creating the impression of her sleeping form, but it wouldn't pass the test under any kind of higher scrutiny. She didn't want to test her luck any more than she already did continuously.

Her predictions almost came true as Jowan nearly ran into an oncoming Templar. He managed to step back into the shadows at the last moment, but it was enough to make Isra's heart stop for a few breaths. She pressed herself back to the nearest wall and started praying that they were nearing their destination. Cursing her curiosity for the hundredth time in the last half an hour, she proceeded to follow Jowan as soon as the Templar passed a safe distance away from her hiding spot.

As she turned the corner she discovered that Jowan disappeared. Stopping she made a careful sweep of the surroundings. Considering his sneaking skills, or lack there off, only two possibilities existed – a secret passage or the chantry chapel. This last possibility seemed most likely, due to the fact that she had explored this level previously with Mica and they did not uncover any secret passages or alcoves in this particular spot, but it surprised her greatly, nonetheless. The mere idea that Jowan should get up in the middle of the night and sneaked his way through to the Circle's chantry seemed ludicrous at best. She knew him well enough to know that he was never truly that devout, so the fact that his newly discovered religious devotion should lead to his strange behaviour in the past year, seemed even more so. And that was, without even considering the change in his attitude towards his friends. Then again, anything is possible, Isra remarked wryly to herself, as she quietly moved towards the chapel's entrance.

The chapel itself was usually empty during the night. Occasionally a Templar or a more religious mage would come here at night, seeking succour or comfort. Isra knew of one apprentice, Keili that usually spent all of her free hours in here, praying for salvation, believing magic to be a curse. Other than that, the chapel also had a priest or a lay sister, maintaining a constant presence during the night, and a careful watch over the holy flames of Andraste, or as Mica liked to point out occasionally – a bunch of lit candles. He never truly accepted the Chantry and the belief in the Maker, maintaining his beliefs in the old elven gods, which led to numerous philosophical debates between them. Isra, though also not very devout, was fascinated by all the different aspects and incarnations of faith. Still she visited the Circle's chapel more often than any of her friends, a fact she kept hidden from all of them.

Nearing the entrance to the chantry, Isra became even more aware of her surroundings. Unlike the rest of the hallways of the tower, the chantry was pretty well lit, which made remaining unnoticed difficult if not impossible. It also caused additional problems due to the fact of the visibility of her silhouette in the glow coming from the chantry, which revealed her presence to anyone approaching on the hallways.

Listening for the smallest sign of oncoming footsteps or any sounds coming from within, Isra quietly moved to the doorframe and peeked inside. For the most part it seemed completely empty, but Isra could bet on her life that there was someone there. She felt the presence of another human being, but more than that she also noticed some kind of shifting in the shadows on the other side of the nave. It could be easily overlooked, if one did not expect to find anything there, but Isra did.

Moving slowly inside, she made sure to stay out of the line of sight from that particular dark corner. Lucky for her, there were some bookshelves at the back of the nave, which served as an excellent cover, while also presenting the risk of being seen by anyone entering the chantry.

Contemplating turning back and leaving this endeavour, she heard a sound which could be described only as a stifled moan. Isra completely froze, feeling a heat starting to creep up the back of her neck. If what she thought she had heard was indeed what was going on in that dark corner, she just walked in on someone getting it on. In the Circle's chapel of all places. And most probably with Jowan being involved in that act. Turning to leave as quickly and quietly as possible she caught a glimpse of the chantry's sister uniform, which could only mean the situation she walked in was way more improbable, complicated and dangerous, than she could have ever anticipated, proving to be more than her mind could handle. Refusing to see any more, she quickly turned away and nearly ran out, barely managing to force herself to stop and move away quietly. The last thing she needed right now was to be discovered.

Her cheeks were burning from embarrassment, as she sneaked back toward the exit to the ground floor. She knew Jowan was not the most intelligent being as it was, but in her experience he also wasn't particularly stupid. But this night-time expedition proved he not only lacked any preservation instinct what so ever, but also not an ounce of common sense. Gallivanting about with chantry sisters in the middle of the night, presented immeasurable risk to one gifted with magic, and living in a Circle's tower, in and of itself. But doing so in the chantry, was borderline insane.

Immersed in her own thoughts she was slowly contemplating whether she should tell Mica about what she just saw. In the end she decided it would be best if she didn't say anything to anyone. It was enough to know that Jowan at least wasn't involved in any blood magic rituals, although she found she couldn't decide which one was worse: him being involved with a chantry priest or him prancing about with blood on his hands. The only thing both had in common was immense stupidity.

She managed to sneak her way carefully to the door leading to the lower level. Feeling relieved that the hardest part was behind her – at this time of night the library usually had only one sentinel; most of them were posted on the other side of the apprentice's dormitories, where the exit lay - and with the entrance to her dormitory being the farthest one away from the exit, she only needed to make it through the library, to reach the safety of her bed.

She wondered how Jowan would fare on his way back and hoped, for his sake that he hurries up. He only had an hour left, before the morning guard rotation. Isra suppressed a yawn as she opened the door to the lower level. She nearly lost a whole night of sleep and she will be paying for it in the morning, having a couple of very early lessons to attend to.

Lost in her thoughts about the eventful night, she stepped through the door and smacked full frontal into a Templar. Coming from a higher position on the stairs, Isra's momentum nearly managed to topple them both, but luckily his battle-trained reflexes stepped in and he caught her, preventing that from happening. The same action however nearly gave her a heart attack and she froze in terror.

"Wha…" the words died on his lips as he noticed who he was holding. Isra was paralysed. Even though they were standing in near complete darkness, she knew he would quickly recognise who he was holding, just by the feel of the fabric on her arms. Templars or their recruits never walked around the Circle's premises, designated to the mages, without being clad in their full armour. She didn't dare open her eyes. In her mind she kept praying that this is all just a nightmare and she will wake up soon. And if not that, she wished fervently to just make him, or herself disappear.

"A mage." The shock of that discovery was clear in his voice. Isra winced at his tone. "What are you doing up so late?"

She wanted to point out that she was only an apprentice, and not yet a mage, but thought better of it. Such distinctions really weren't all that important right now, and would not change her situation in the slightest. Even mages didn't have the privilege of the full run around of the tower in the middle of the night. "Em…" Giving up on her prayers, she slowly opened her eyes. It was dark, so she didn't see his face clearly, but he seemed young by the sound of his voice. Other than that she only had an impression of regular features and short, curly hair. She couldn't decide if the fact that he wasn't wearing a helmet was better or worse, but let that thought process go in the end. The situation she was in right now could hardly have been worse, either way.

"Em." Isra repeated and swallowed. She struggled to get the words out. "I - I was…." She swallowed again, cursing herself. It wasn't possible to look guiltier as she did right at this moment. "I was just on my way to the dormitory, Ser." She managed to get the words out in a whisper.

"You're an apprentice?" his voice pierced through the silence, making her wince again. Inwardly she cursed her curiosity for the thousandth time in the last few hours, as she nodded in reply. "Y-Yes."

"Maker." He breathed out. It was apparent he was baffled and struggling with the situation. Her assertions of his age were apparently correct. An older, more experienced Templar would already figure out what to do with her. This one seemed to be waiting for orders that would not come. "I'll ask again. What are you doing up so late?" He asked after a few moments of hesitation. His voice was gentler this time.

"I-I was at the Chantry." Isra decided to stick to the truth as much as she could. Making something up, could only get her into more trouble. She was not so apt at making things up on the fly, as Mica was.

"At the Chantry?" He repeated with a mix of surprise and disbelief. He had surprisingly expressive voice, Isra noted. It would be also a very pleasant, warm voice, if it didn't come from the Templar, holding her hostage in the middle of the night, she added dryly in her mind.

Isra nodded again. Stick to the truth, she repeated in her head. The answer came to her lips immediately. "The Harrowing…" her voice gently trailed off. It was true, that in the past year she started visiting the Chantry from time to time, with the fear of the approaching Harrowing, slowly creeping up on her. She discovered it helped ease her mind a bit, but it was also why she kept those visits secret from her friends - especially Mica. She didn't want him to know how frightened she really was and she also didn't want him to know she was a bit more devout than she let on, out of fear that their religious differences could divide them or ruin their friendship.

He let out a tired sigh. "All right, you're afraid of the Harrowing. I can accept that. But why go pray in the middle of the night?"

Isra's brain finally broke through the haze of fear. "Why? You answered your own question, that's why. It's impossible to sleep when the fear resurfaces. So I have two choices – whether I stay in my bed, looking up at the ceiling, thinking about it or I go out and do something about it. The Chantry is peaceful. And it helps."

He seemed chastised, but Isra couldn't stop. "Usually I visit it in the early hours of the morning, but tonight was different." she paused, everything she said up until this point was the truth. The only lie existed in the fact that she appropriated the truth to disguise her true intentions tonight. But now she realised, that he could have checked the truth of her story with the chantry priest. The same priest currently busy, getting it on with Jowan. Isra felt her cheeks grow red again. There was just no way she could escape what she had just uncovered, no matter how much she wanted to erase it from her mind. The best possible solution was to blackmail Jowan into convincing the priest to collaborate with her story, or threaten to expose them, which also made it the worst possible solution. Isra liked to think of herself as a decent human being. Sure, she spied on her friends - evidently – but she never wanted, nor intended to use that knowledge against them. "It was personal." She whispered and completely forgot she spoke out loud.

"I see." He said gently and let her go. "Well. I can respect that. Just don't let it happen again." He took a step backward, moving to the side. "I still have to escort you back to your dormitory."

Isra was surprised. This was not a reaction she anticipated. She nodded, taking a step forward.

"I meant it. Don't let it happen again. If you need to, you can visit the chantry during the day." He left the rest went unsaid, but she knew that if he found her again, he would probably be forced to take a more serious course of action. Isra nodded again and started towards her dormitory, relieved that she apparently bumped into the most decent and inexperienced Templar there was.

The way back was uneventful, with him staying behind her and allowing her to lead. It was probably a precaution if she decided to turn against him and it spoke of his professionalism. Apparently this Templar was not only decent but also a capable and trained warrior. Just how the Chantry liked them, Isra thought to herself dryly.

"This is it." Isra said as they arrived. She stood in front of the door to her dormitory, suddenly uncertain whether she should say anything else. She turned back to look at the Templar to see if he had anything to add and was surprised to see him staring in shock.

"It's you!"

"What?" Now that they were standing in a better lit hallway, she recognised him as one of the Templars who were usually assigned guard duty in the library or patrolled the upper floors. She also noticed him a couple of times in the chantry, but other than that she never really had any kind of interaction with him, or any other Templar for that matter. Even so it was becoming more and more apparent, that her presence didn't went as unnoticed as she thought, Isra noted with increasing worry.

"Em…I-I mean. I'm done. Em…no. I mean. My duty here is done. Good night." With a quick nod to Isra, he turned and nearly ran away back up the hallway leading to the library. She could have sworn he was blushing the whole time as he said those last few words.

"Right." Isra stood stock-still, trying to figure out what had just happened. "What?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Careful!" Isra heard Mica's voice pierce through the haze. A moment later it disappeared as she felt him dispel all magic in the area.

"Sorry."

"Yet another unsuccessful attempt at a force field" he sighed "I don't get it." He said, obviously tired, as he moved towards the nearest chair. "I just don't get it. You're terrific at destruction spells, but anything else… I think you do this on purpose. You actually want to destroy everything in sight, don't you?"

Isra offered him a week attempt at a grin. "Oh well. You know me. I just want to see the world burn." He wasn't the only one feeling tired. Isra sighed as she slumped down into the chair next to him.

Mica laughed gently, shaking his head. "Oh I know."

She sighed, nodding slowly. "Yep." Isra's expertise at elemental destruction ended when it came to fire. All of her attempts involving any flammable spell usually ended with half the classroom set on fire and enchanter Hayes – the destruction spells expert of the Circle – running around trying to gain some semblance of order among the panicked students..

Usually every child gifted with magic has a preference, an element a type of magic that is closest to him or her. It's the same type of magic that usually manifests itself first and can also be the one easiest to improve upon later in life. In some cases this affinity deviates and a mage can later develop a preference for another type of magic, but it never goes away completely. Meaning that one who's magic first manifested itself in destruction has an easier time developing spells within that school of magic, even though he or she might become more comfortable with other - sometimes on a completely opposite side of the spectrum, like creation – schools later in life.

In Isra's case that general rule went completely out of the window. Even though her magic first manifested itself with fire, it was the only element in the destruction school of magic that she was completely unable to control or develop upon. Every time she tried, it ended up in chaos, so she strictly avoided using it. Instead she tried to improve upon her concentration and develop her skills in different offsets of magic, but she struggled with almost all of them. She was terrible with any spell within the creation school of magic, so it fell on her – _avoid at all costs_ \- list of magic, she couldn't perform to save her life. Quite literally. She knew a few basic spells in entropy, but no matter how much she practiced, her ability with them was mediocre at best. And the only other – officially sanctioned - school that remained was spirit, which sadly fell near the creation school of magic on the spectrum and that meant she also was not particularly good at it. To put it lightly.

Even so she never stopped trying, which is why she was now here, with Mica, in an empty classroom practicing the spells, he was really good at. The whole idea was that _maybe_ he could help, but alas to no avail.

"That's it? That's all you have to say?" Mica sounded disappointed. It was apparent that he was expecting a better, wittier retort, than just _yep_.

Isra only nodded. She attempted to mumble something in reply, but was too tired to even try.

"Mhmph."

Isra sighed again, planting her face on the table in front of her. "I'm hopeless."

"I won't even try to dispute that."

"Bastard."

He laughed at her response.

"Oh I am so revoking your best friend privileges!"

"Hard at work I see."

They immediately jumped out of their seats at the sound of enchanter Hayes's voice. He grinned at their reaction, clearly amused.

Isra managed to squeeze out quickly. "Oh! We were just …"

"… taking a short pause. We've been at it since morning. With _no_ improvement." Mica finished, sending her an accusing look.

Isra shrugged. She had no idea how she could make the situation better. If she did, they wouldn't be lamenting the non-existence of some of her magical abilities. "Apparently I suck as a mage."

"I see." Hayes commented. "Well. Have you eaten?"

She smiled sheepishly in answer. "Am. That would be a no."

"Get yourselves fed. We can continue this later. I want to see this…lack of improvement by myself." Hayes answered with slight smile.

Isra smiled gratefully and then hurried after Mica who was already on his way out. Hayes was the one who allowed them the practice and offered them the use of his classroom, for which Isra was additionally grateful. It allowed them to practice in peace, with only occasional Templar taking a peak, and not under the eyes of the whole population of the library. She was embarrassed as it was and didn't need an additional audience, which could only bring a lot of unwanted attention. At the same time she recognised this was only a precaution on Hayes's part. With most of her magic being dangerously unstable, letting her practice in an empty classroom, prevented the library from being burned down. Which she also deeply appreciated.

\- . o . O . o . -

A couple of minutes later they were sitting in a nearly empty dining hall, busy stuffing themselves with food.

"Maker I missed this!" Mica almost moaned from pleasure.

"What, the sight of Sweeney's hairy legs?" The old senior enchanter was sitting a few tables away from them, unaware that his robes had ridden up a bit.

Mica coughed nearly choking on his bite of bread. "Oh har har. You witty jester you!" he commented dryly after he managed to take a breath. "I meant food."

Isra giggled gleefully as she pounded his back, helping him to dislodge the errant crumb in his throat. She rarely managed to throw him off balance. "Oh so that's what we're talking about. Yes this stale bread is…the hardest, driest, yet unusually charming bland piece of sustenance I have ever had the pleasure tasting." She dodged just in time to avoid a flying piece of said bread targeted at her head. "Awww. Your aim is pathetic. Hopeless." She commented with a snigger and dodged another piece, this one flying closer.

"Don't worry. I'll get there. Practice is the key, my friend. _Practice_." Mica answered with a deliberate emphasis, grinning deviously.

"Go ahead, rub it in. Sadist." She muttered giving him a dark look. "Sometimes I think my life would be easier if I didn't have magic."

"Oh it would definitely be easier. Not necessarily better though. Being a lady prancing about her own estate, fending off noble suitors might sound appealing, but imagine all the fun you'd be missing. The gossip, the intrigue, the pretty robes, the Templars..."

"Right. Dreamy." Isra commented oozing sarcasm. "The threat of death, the control, the oppression…what's not to like!"

"Exactly. And as a bonus: you get to see my pretty face every day." He finished with flair and a charming smile causing Isra to laugh.

"True! The thought of not being able to gaze upon your handsome countenance even for a moment, let alone my whole life, fills me with horror and dread!" She performed a perfect faint that ended with her face being planted on the table, laughing her ass of.

Mica clapped enthusiastically, laughing at the same time. "Wonderful performance! Next time, try to avoid the maniacal laughter at the end though. It might make it more believable."

"Indeed! Having fun?"

"Sili!"

Isra lifted her head as soon as she heard Mica call out their friend's name. "Sili! What have you been up to?"

Taking a bite out of Isra's bread Silani sat down in front of them. "Oh you know. The usual."

"See? Excitement!" Mica turned to Isra with a wink.

"Ah yes. The excitement. So excitingly excitable."

"Riiight." Silani drawled out, shaking her head. She seemed tired and less energetic than usual. "So. Anyway. I came here to order your two silly asses to the Cove tonight. Will you come?"

"What's the occasion?" Isra asked carefully. She willed herself not to blush, as she remembered her return journey from a few nights ago.

"Oh nothing special, I just want to hang out a bit." Silani smiled. "So will you come?"

"Of course." Mica nodded his eyes on his food again, for which Isra was grateful. He was the only one who knew her well enough, to notice even the slightest change in her manner. And that could spell disaster for Isra and Jowan's little secret.

"Sure." She added quietly, also stuffing her mouth with bread.

"Good."

"You're leaving already?" Isra asked as Silani stood up.

She nodded. "Yeah. I still have some work to do. No rest for the wicked and all that." Silani said with a wink. "Be good."

"Always." Mica answered with a wide grin that clearly stated the exact opposite. Silani laughed, shaking her head as she waved them goodbye.

Isra waved back, noticing a group of Templars entering the dining hall, just as Silani left. Seeing that the group was missing one particular Templar, she let out a small sigh of relief. Ever since that night she was constantly on the lookout, being extra careful to avoid him. After his reaction to seeing her face, her mind created at least a dozen possible scenarios for him to recognise her, most of them ending badly. She knew she was probably overthinking it, but being raised in the Tower gave one ample opportunity to become prone to the occasional paranoia.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

Isra cursed herself inwardly.

He stopped eating and was now looking at her with his piercing eyes. Like a wolf noticing his prey, she noted in her mind.

She avoided his gaze, instead shifting her attention to the plate in front of her. She felt a blush creeping up her neck under his scrutiny. She cursed herself again. It was pointless trying to hide anything from him as she was incapable of doing so, without him noticing. She sighed again.

"You know. You sight awfully a lot."

She smiled, looking up. "Oh you know… one of those days…"

"Apparently."

She sighed again, giving up. The best she could hope for was to distract him. So she decided on the same tactic she used with the Templar - a partial truth. "I…I had a setback when returning from the Cove."

Mica's eyes narrowed. She knew he came to the right conclusion, even before he said it. "A Templar?"

Isra nodded.

"Is everything all right?"

Isra nodded again, this time more hesitantly. "I think so."

"You think so?"

She sighed. "I managed to talk my way out of it. I think. But…he…knew me. Well…knew of me."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Really? That's…strange."

"I know right! I never did anything…memorable. At least nothing I could think of."

"Are you sure no one noticed you before? You know, sneaking into the Cove?" He seemed worried.

"No." Isra rejected the idea sharply. In truth she wondered the same thing, but hearing it from another person bruised her pride. She was good at sneaking. No, not good. Excellent, she added in her mind. Then again, she thought she was also good at keeping a low profile, but the Templar's reaction clearly proved her otherwise.

"And yet you seem doubtful."

Isra grimaced. "Sure. I had wondered."

"But?"

"But it's just not possible. Let's say I was noticed sneaking about the tower at night, do you really think the whichever Templar would see me, would be able to keep it quiet? I would be dragged in front of the Knight-Commander the very next day. "

"Or… you wouldn't be, because they could suspect you involved with blood magic and they would decide to keep you under observation in the hope of you leading them to your accomplices. Until the day they'd spring up a trap..."

"Well in that case, they seemed to be taking their own sweet time. The last time I was at the Cove was almost six months ago. The rumours about blood magic started only a _few_ months ago, remember?"

"Right. Because they could be the ones who started them, after seeing you sneak about at night."

"I highly doubt that is the case. The Templar was as surprised as I was to find me there. Don't you think that, if your blood magic theory was true every Templar patrolling the lower levels would know about it? You know… to watch me and what I was doing?"

"Fine. So how did he found you?"

"He didn't…find me per se." Isra felt a blush creeping up her neck. "I…kind of… crashed into him."

"You _what_?" He froze, his eyes bulging out of shock, holding a cup of water he was just about to take a sip in mid-air. "_Crashed_? How? Why?"

Isra felt her face turning a darker shade of red by the moment. "I guess I…didn't… notice him."

"You didn't notice someone clad in bright, shining armour clamouring about the empty hallways in the middle of the night?! I can see how one could easily escape your notice." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I was drunk!"

"Sili was drunk. You were inebriated at best."

"And how would you know?!"

"You drank less than both of us and you know you can carry your liquor better than any of us! I'd _know_ if you were drunk! And I sure as hell wouldn't let you get back alone if you were!" He hissed in an angry whisper.

"I know that." Isra said more quietly. She knew what he said was true. He would take care of her, he always did. They might not share the same blood, or even be of the same species, but they were the closest thing to a family they could get.

"So stop feeding me this week-ass excuses."

"I was careless. That's all there is to it. I let my guard down." Isra admitted quietly.

He nodded, still visibly upset but calmed down a bit. "So you've crashed into him. What then?"

"Then…I told him an elaborate lie about going to visit the chapel to pray. Added the fear of the Harrowing in the mix. He believed it and let me go. Well…he escorted me back to the dormitory, but that was it."

"You said he recognised you."

She sighed, probably for the tenth time in the last hour. "Well when we arrived at the door and I turned back, he became a little weird. As soon as he saw my face he seemed….surprised and said: _It's you_! Then…he just….well, ran away."

Mica seemed as surprised as she was in the moment when it happened. "He just ran away?"

Isra nodded. "Yes."

"So let me get this straight. You crash into a Templar in the middle of the night. You spin him a story about a nightly visit to the Chapel, due to the fear of Harrowing. He accepts it just like that, says he must escort you back. He offers no additional questions; you get no repercussions what so ever. And in the end, when he finally sees your faces, says _it's you_ and then turns and…runs away." He cleared his throat, looking puzzled. "And a few days later, here you are, sitting with me in the dining hall, with no extra Templars around you. Huh."

"I know right? It's strange to say the least."

"And this was just some random Templar?"

Isra nodded again.

"Was he wearing a helmet?"

"Well…no."

"Oh? So you know how he looks like?" That seemed to peek his interest.

Isra felt her head would roll of her shoulders if she nodded a few times more. "Yes."

"And?"

"Well…he was young. Curly, blond hair. You know the one, who usually hangs about in the library."

"The tall one? With that pitiful attempt at a goatee?"

"Yes." Isra smiled gently. It wasn't the way she would describe it, but that goatee did look a little odd on him.

"Well then. If we are speaking of the same Templar… then the whole thing seems much less strange."

"Oh?" Isra felt confused.

"Let me give you a hint." Mica drew nearer in a confiding whisper "I think this particular Templar… wants to stick you with his little sword."

"What?" Isra felt even more confused. "Why would he…." She trailed off. Mica seemed to be struggling with laughter. "Oh. You mean…"

"Yes. That."

"But…how do you know that?" Isra felt her cheeks burning. She took care to look plain, unattractive. It was unfathomable that someone would find her attractive, let alone notice her.

"Look at you, so clueless." He laughed out loud. It was clear that he was enjoying her confusion. "How could I not know? Even Jowan knows about this Templar's crush on you. He couldn't have been more obvious. Always looking at you with those big puppy eyes, when he thinks no one is looking at him. Positioning himself so he could have a clear view of you when you are reading in the library…"

By now Isra felt her face will melt, from the heat. "What?"

"You're so lucky and you don't even know it. Of all the Templars in this tower you've managed to run into the one who is probably the most harmless. At least when it comes to you." He added with a wink.

"Not necessarily." Isra added quietly, her face still on fire. "He didn't seem like the type to shirk his duties. I was lucky that time. I might not be again."

"Really? Well… we take our blessings where we can. Just be careful it will not happen again."

"I will." She nodded. "You're not going to let me return alone tonight, will you?" She said with resignation clear in her voice. She knew him well enough to know that.

"You can be sure of that. Come. We still have work to do."

Grateful to be leaving the dining hall, which was slowly filling up with Templars Isra stood up and followed him back to the classroom. The knowledge that a Templar had noticed her and had (at least according to Mica) developed a crush on her, left her feeling confused and conflicted.

On one hand she was worried about what this could mean for her in the future - it never ended well; on the other... she felt a strange warmth spreading through her. She was still just a girl after all and he wasn't that bad-looking either...


	4. Chapter 4

At the end of the day Isra felt close to dropping down. She finally managed to create a stable enough force field to hold of weaker spells, but it had a very short life expectancy. Still, Hayes seemed pleased, if not downright optimistic, as he reassured her that any kind of progress was a success at this point. To Isra it sounded just like a proclamation of the fact that she was a hopeless case, regardless of his best effort to mask it.

She sighed dejectedly. Keeping up appearances of being ordinary was extremely taxing when you were anything but. Being unusually terrible in most things, but terrific at a few, was a recipe for making you stand out of the crowd like a brightly coloured peacock, much to Isra's dismay. Mica had already tried to console her numerous times before, saying there might be other kinds of magic she is also terrific at, that weren't sanctioned under the Circle's law, but it didn't have the desired effect of calming her. The fact that most unsanctioned magic was strictly forbidden out of one reason or another, but most stemming from the belief that it was evil, presented the core problem she had with that line of thinking. She was not prepared to declare herself a potential gifted practitioner of the forbidden arts while living in the nest full of Templars and chantry zealots. Somehow she doubted that could ever end with hugs, peace and fuzzy bunnies all around.

Above all she was too tired to think about it anymore, dragging herself along slowly on her way to the library. She had to pick up a couple of books enchanter Hayes had recommended to her by the end of the lesion. They were supposed to help her understand the spells she was working with, improving her performance, but Isra doubted it. Forcing herself to read books that were obligatory rarely offered her any other gain than a headache. Even books that could or would otherwise be interesting to her, lost their lustre as soon as they became _obligatory_.

Lost in the contemplation of her inabilities she nearly managed to trip over a stack of books lying about, barely managing to catch herself by grabbing the nearest bookshelf. "I need to stop doing that." She hissed annoyed at herself. "Lost in thoughts, crashing into stuff and Templars. Fucking hopeless."

Her angry mutterings were interrupted by a sight of the Templar standing at his usual post in the library. Isra quickly ducked back down, hiding herself from his view behind the now convenient stack of books. There was at least one thing she could be grateful for, she remarked to herself - the convenient cover popping up exactly when she needed it.

She never trusted gossip, rumours or speculations, even if it was Mica who uttered them, so she didn't really believe any of his remarks about that Templar having a crush on her. It felt nice to know that she was noticed, gave her all the warm and fuzzy feelings and what not, but she still had her doubts. She also never really paid that much (if any) attention to the Templars in general. She knew them by sight, just like one knows how a piece of their furniture looks like. That's what they were to her. A piece of dangerous furniture that could kill her in a jiffy if it felt like it, but a piece of furniture nonetheless. However now, with Mica saying all those things, she became curious.

Seeing him now, she almost felt disappointed. Without the ominous light and the dire circumstances to affect her imagination and to contribute a bunch of larger-than life qualities to him, he seemed downright ordinary. He was quite young, a bit gangly to the point where the armour seemed to hang on him like on an awkward adolescent hanger. He wasn't ugly by any stretch of imagination, but he was…well, bland. And that goatee didn't do him any favours Isra remarked in her mind, grimacing. Mica was right. Well he usually always was right whenever aesthetics were involved, she noted quietly to herself.

"You know it never ends well."

Isra barely kept herself from screaming, biting her tongue at the last second. She almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice behind her. Turning around and seeing she wasn't just imagining it, she nearly had a second heart attack.

Anders. Her speech failed her. This was the first time he spoke to her, the first time he was ever so close to her. She had a terrible crush on him ever since she was thirteen. "I – I – I was…"

"Undressing him with your eyes?" He said with his staple sidewise grin that could only be described as cheeky. It also made her insides feel all funny.

Isra felt herself blushing furiously. Blushing was another thing she wanted to eliminate from her life, she remarked in her mind, right after the talent for crashing into stuff and people. "Em no. No. I –I was just looking for a…a book." She started rearranging the pile of books in front of her, pretending to search for a specific book and grabbing the closest one she could find.

"Ah. _Lost in Lust: An In-depth Guide to the Mysteries of Passion and Pleasure_. By Papilla Labrum. Second edition." Anders slowly read the title of the book she was holding, causing her blush to reach a whole new level. Isra felt as though she was close to erupting in flames. "Excellent choice."

It was too much. Her whole body was afire with embarrassment and excitement at being so close to him that her rational mind decided to shatter itself into thousands upon thousands of tiny little pieces, leaving her alone in a very tricky situation. Deciding that escape was the best and only solution in such a state, she threw the book back on the pile, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. It seemed that the Templar had at least some sense in his head when he chose this tactic the other night, she thought as she turned the corner, stopping to catch her breath. It also implied he was in a similar mental space that she was currently dealing with and if so, Mica's theory just might have at least some truth to it. It wasn't a thought process she was comfortable in any way, shape or form at this very moment. First, she desperately needed to soak her head in a bucket full of icy water. Then she might be able to face those implications, but she had her doubts.

Calming down enough to being able to move again at a normal pace –she didn't want to draw any more attention than she already had after all – she proceeded quietly towards her dormitory. Those books Hayes recommended to her would just have to wait for a few hours more.

**\- o . O . o -**

The library was quiet this time. The sun shined through the high windows, illuminating the bright coloured spines of thousands of books, surrounding Isra in a myriad of different colours. She knew she was completely alone this time, with the whole library at her disposal. She would be ashamed to admit it out loud, but it felt magnificent.

Taking her time, Isra slowly moved through the library, gently caressing the books in passing. She had to find those books Hayes recommended earlier, but was in no hurry. Enjoying the peace and quiet she felt like a queen reining the kingdom of endless knowledge. All at her disposal.

On a whim she let down her hair, letting them trail behind her. It wasn't necessary for her to hide from anyone. There were no Templars here, she smiled to herself. Having no trouble finding those books she felt a little disappointed. It was almost too easy.

"You know it never ends well."

Isra smiled to herself. Part of her was relieved at hearing his voice again. "Oh?"

She felt him move in closer right behind her. Moving her hair away from her ear, he bit it gently, sending shivers down her spine. Isra closed her eyes in pleasure.

"A truly bad idea." Suddenly he grabbed her hair and turned her around, pressing her against the bookcase. "A Templar and an apprentice. What would people say…" he said with a smile, clearly enjoying her little gasp of surprise. Without asking for approval he started to trail gentle kisses down the side of her neck.

It felt too good to stop him. "No harm in looking, is there?" She said with a smile, biting her lip as he suddenly bit her neck. She felt her heart start to race with excitement.

The fist in her hair tightened, pulling her head back, forcing her to look him straight in the eyes. His lips were just a fraction of an inch away. "Brave words." He moved away just enough so she could see the Templar standing behind them.

Isra forgot to breathe for a moment. He was looking straight into her eyes, a slight smile on his lips. She watched him, hypnotised by his eyes like a prey facing its predator. Part of her consciousness was aware of Anders's ministrations proceeding lower and lower, slowly undressing her, leaving blazing trails of kisses down her exposed skin and enveloping her in a haze of pleasure. The other part was completely at the Templars mercy, pleading, begging for something, she was unable to articulate. Pleasure and fear were mixing together in a deadly combination. Isra was completely breathless, unable to move or run away, as the Templar started to approach them slowly.

"Do you like what you see then? Apprentice?" He rolled the last word in his mouth as if tasting it, causing goose bumps all over her body. He stopped just a fraction of an inch away from her, grabbing both of her hands and pinning them above her head, before she could answer. Isra gasped in surprise. She was completely helpless, but she wasn't frightened of him any longer. Her body was beginning to demand more than just soft little kisses Anders was trailing on the insides of her thighs, a ravenous desire starting to awake in her. Isra whimpered slightly, before she could stop herself.

The Templar's smile widened, his eyes mirroring her hunger. He slowly began to close the distance between their lips. Her whole body was starting to tingle from the anticipation, her breathing becoming faster, shallower…

"Isra!" The Templar's lips suddenly disappeared as Jowan's voice pierced through her fantasy causing the reality to assert itself in full force. Isra looked up, her face making a weird smacking sound, as she peeled herself from the book she was sleeping on. "Huh? Wha..?"

"I need that book you're drooling on."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." She quickly closed it, offering it to him. She must have fallen asleep while reading it. He reluctantly accepted it, holding it between his thumb and the index finger as if it might attack him. "Oh come on I'm not contagious. And those pages really aren't all that necessary to read through." It was a book on elemental control, which she knew by heart already. The only reason she had been reading it now, was to pass the time, until she could be sure that the library was Anders free. Thinking of Anders brought back the memories of her dream in full force, causing her to blush deeply. She sincerely hoped she didn't emit any kind of revealing noises during her sleep.

"I'll be the judge of that, thank you." Jowan shuffled away slowly, muttering under his breath something about wet ink and her appalling sleeping habits. Isra tried to ignore it, feeling embarrassed as it was. She had never had a vivid dream like this. Or any dream of that sort for that matter. Jumping down from her bed she decided to make a beeline to the washing closet. Her visit to the library could wait. Books weren't exactly known for taking off on their own and she had more pressing concerns tonight. First she needed a second dose of the ice bucket. Then she would need to leave on another sneaking expedition to the Cove, but she sincerely hoped this one would end better than the last one. After the dream she just had, she didn't know if she would ever be face that particular Templar ever again. Or Anders for that matter.

**\- o . O . o -**

When Isra finally arrived at the Cove later that night, she was surprised to discover she was the first to do so. The other unexpected thing that greeted her as she entered their little room was a small package placed in the middle of it with a rolled up piece of paper on top of it.

She approached the package slowly her feeling of unease deepening with each step. There was a necklace wrapped around the roll, holding it together. It was Silani's. Isra felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand up at the revelation. Silani would never part with it willingly.

Isra carefully sat down next to the package, unable to tear her eyes away from the necklace. She gently touched the small pendant. It belonged to Silani's mother and it was the only keepsake she owned from the life before the Circle. Taking a deep breath Isra unwrapped the necklace slowly, careful not to break it and unrolled the piece of paper.

_Isra, Mica_

_I am bad at writing this things (as you both well know) so please,__d__on't judge my writing style too harshly – that goes to you Mica!_

_I escaped! _

_Oh, wait. No I didn't. Just a little joke. Hehe. Funny, no? … I guess not. _

_This is harder than I thought. _

_Right, I'll start again. _

_First of know that I love you both. All the silly shit we've gotten ourselves into over the years.__It was a fun ride and I enjoyed every second of it. Thank you both, for being you, for helping me escape the nightmare of this Tower, if not literally, then not-so-literally. You know what I mean._

_The reason I'm writing this thing is because, I'm a coward and I wouldn't be able to tell you what I needed to - what I wanted to – in person. I couldn't handle it._

_A year or so ago I've had a run in with a few Templars. Let's just say it was a more pleasant affair for them than it was for me. I don't want to go into the details. They are not important anyway. The important thing is that I have trouble dealing with the consequences. Memory can be a nasty thing._

_My options are pretty limited, as you both well know and after long consideration I've made my decision. Tonight I will go through the rite. _

_I'm sorry for not telling this to either of you sooner. I didn't want to give you two smooth talkers the chance to talk me out of it. It's the only way I can live with myself. Well…as one could live in such state. _

_Take care of each other. I love you both. _

_Please forgive me._

_Ps: Isra I want you to take the necklace. Keep it safe. The rest…well, just don't let the Templars get their hands on those things. Destroy them if you must._

Isra sat in shock for a few moments, staring at the letter in front of her, clutching the necklace to her chest. She felt as if she had just received a physical blow that almost knocked her out. She had just lost one of her closest friends.

Mica joined her a few moments later, perplexed at the situation in front of him. She offered him the letter without saying a word, fighting back the tears that started to gather in the corners of her eyes.

He was the first to break the silence, his voice chocked. "I saw her. Just an hour ago. I saw her. They…they were escorting her." He coughed, trying to clear his throat. "The Templars. I thought…" Isra saw the shock and confusion mixing with grief written clearly on his face. She knew exactly what he had meant. He thought they were taking Silani away to face her Harrowing.

"It's too late." She felt empty, devoid of all emotions. It was as if her mind shut them out, making it possible for her to cope with the loss.

Isra looked at the necklace in her hands. Silani was made tranquil of her own volition because she was afraid. Because she was abused. Anger was starting to enter the emptiness she felt, replacing the grief. It would have been easier if Silani had died at her Harrowing. Better for all of them. Anything would have been better, than seeing her face again, her eyes cold and devoid of emotions, past caring. But it was her choice and even though Isra was struggling with it, she would respect it. But that didn't meant she would ever accept it, she added quietly.

The Templars who had abused her friend, who drove her into accepting that fate, were still unpunished, still free to abuse her if they felt like it. These thoughts haunted Isra, flaming the anger inside her. She was only partly aware of Mica opening the package and slowly shifting through its contents. All of Silani's earthly possessions that she didn't want the Templars to get their hands on were there.

"No." She said out loud. "I won't let that stand."

"Don't you dare." His voice was quiet, but it carried an edge that cut through her anger like a knife. "I won't lose you too." He was staring at her, with his piercing eyes. Ferocious. His intent was clear. He would stop her in any way he could.

"You won't." Isra tried to offer him a comforting smile, but failed. "But I will have my vengeance. Justice. For her. I won't let them touch her ever again."

He cocked his head to the side. "So this is your answer? A crusade in the name of justice? How will that help her?!"

Isra stood up, too angry to sit still. She started to pace around the room. "How will it help her?! For one thing the bastards who did this are still free! They can still hurt her! Or do you really think that they will leave her alone just because she is a tranquil now?!" Isra was yelling at this point but she didn't care. She saw it in his eyes that her words struck home. "Just because she won't care about it now, it doesn't mean they will stop." She took a breath, trying to calm herself down. "This is no solution and you know it."

Mica nodded quietly. "Fine. And what do you indent to do about it now?" He was challenging her, but she saw through him immediately. He was trying to talk her out of it and she had no intention of giving him the opportunity.

She looked at Silani's necklace in her hand. "First I intend to have a little chat with the Kinght-Commander. Then…well…we'll see how it goes." She finished abruptly, storming off before he could comment on her decision. She didn't care any more. She would find the men responsible and she will make them pay the price for destroying her friend's life.


	5. Chapter 5

**This one is a little late - sorry for that. Life happened. As it usually does...**

**Hope you enjoy my scribbles below. Thank you for reading. ;)**

* * *

Isra had never been this high in the tower before. She was sitting in the antechamber of the Knight-Commander's private office, trying to maintain a calm demeanour. In reality she was anything but. She nearly jumped out of her seat when the door to the office opened up.

"The Knight-Captain will see you now." A Templar politely informed her.

"The Knight-Captain? But…" The Templar moved sideways, indicating that she should enter. Isra took a deep breath. "Fine."

Knight-Captain Hadley was standing near a large desk, occupying the majority of the small chamber. "Ah. I've heard you asked for a consultation." He offered her a warm smile.

"Well… yes." Isra replied reluctantly. "But I asked for the Knight-Commander." She had nothing against Hadley and would go even as far to say that she liked him. He was one of the few more approachable and friendly Templars of the tower, but she was prepared to face the Knight-Commander. She wanted to talk directly with the person who approved of the decision for Silani to undergo the rite.

"I'm afraid the Knight-Commander is busy at the moment. You can, however, turn to me with any request or concern that you'd want us to address." He answered with another friendly smile, gesturing her to sit on a nearby chair.

Isra refused the offer. Coming here was hard enough already, and saying what she needed to say, was becoming harder and harder as time passed. Hadley's amicability was making things even harder and she felt rather annoyed by it. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. "I have reason to believe, that an elven apprentice who just recently underwent the rite of tranquillity, did so due to the abuse she received at the hands of a group of Templars."

He seemed surprised; clearly he was not expecting that response. "You're saying that the Templars were the cause of her tranquillity?"

"Yes. And I don't mean that in a literal sense." Isra looked at him defiantly. "I'm saying that the abuse she received at the hands of a few, influenced her decision to undergo the rite. I believe she thought that this was the only way she could escape the inner turmoil it caused her."

"Do you have any proof to back your claims?"

"Her written word."

"Really?" It was clear that she surprised him again.

Isra nodded. "But, I cannot hand it over. And no it did not give any information on the identities of the perpetrators." She elaborated, before he could say anything else. The last thing she wanted was for Silani's letter to be read by the Templars. Hadley was kind and all, but that letter was personal and she had every intention to let it stay that way.

Hadley looked at her sceptically, one eyebrow raised. "…right."

She nodded again. "I know it sounds like I'm offering you accusations originating in baseless speculations."

"So we're clear..."

Isra interrupted him, before he could finish. "The reason I came here is because I want you to run an internal investigation nonetheless. Just in case if it turns out that these speculations are perhaps not so baseless. Silani is..." she felt a knot forming in her throat and swallowed, trying her best to keep her voice steady "…was. She was a talented mage. She was capable of controlling her magic and she would have easily passed the Harrowing, I'm sure of it." She took another breath, trying to collect herself. "I have one more clue to offer you however. In her letter Silani stated the first altercation occurred about a year ago. From what I remember, that was around the time she started to help enchanter Elena with her research. They worked late from time to time." She looked Hadley directly in the eyes again. "I'm guessing you do have some sort of a patrol system established here already." She downplayed her own knowledge of it. "And I'm guessing you also keep records of those patrols. Which Templar patrols which area and at what time, things like that."

Hadley nodded slowly, keeping the eye contact. His friendly demeanour was completely replaced by a professional one. The battle lines are drawn, Isra noted to herself bitterly. "I believe you are aware of the location of enchanter Elleina's study."

"We are." Hadley answered with a slight smile. "It seems prudent to look into it in either case. I'll see what we can do."

Isra nodded. "Thank you."

She felt a little lighter leaving the office. All that remained for her now was to start her own little investigation. She trusted Hadley, but she didn't trust the system he was part of. If their investigations lead to a ranked person within the order, they might just try to sweep it under the rug and there was no way she would let them get away with it.

**\- o . O . o -**

_**9:30 DRAGON**_

The First day of a new year came and went, without Isra paying it too much attention. She had immersed herself into her research regarding the identities of Silani's Templar abusers, sneaking around the tower at night, trying to gather some clues. She was also conducting discreet inquiries among other apprentices, asking around if any of them had encountered or had heard of a group of Templars being abusive towards anyone. It was a slow going process, without much progress. She could only do so much without alerting the order. She was caught in a delicate dance and more often than not, she felt as if she was walking on a tightrope with a gaping abys beneath her, waiting for her to lose her balance.

She had already managed to narrow down the list of potential suspects, from a few Templars that usually patrolled the area Silani's incidents probably occurred, but without much further proof, her own investigation was at a dead end. She didn't want to wait around to see how Hadley's investigation was going. It has been nearly a week since her visit to the Knight-Commander's office, but with no apparent results or changes indicating any progress from their side, which was causing her to become more and more restless as each day passed by.

The only option she hadn't yet explored was Silani. Even though she was turned tranquil, she was still alive and Isra could attempt to talk to her, but she was afraid to do so. The whole thing was still too painful, which worked fine for fuelling up her anger and determination on her quest for answers, but it didn't help with the horror that gripped her at the thought of seeing Silani in that state. A part of her mind was still not reconciled with the new reality of her friend's existence and she wasn't so sure if she was ready to change that.

Mica had left her alone for the most part. They still had lunch together occasionally, but avoided any topic that could lead to their last conversation in the Cove or Silani's decision. Isra was grateful for the space he offered her. She recognised the fact that this whole investigation was part of her healing process and knew that he understood it completely. She also knew that he expected at least some results by the end of it. She felt his anger bubbling under the surface. She knew that if she didn't manage to discover something and protect Silani, make things right again, he would. And she was scared of what his solution could be. It took a lot to anger him, he had almost infinite patience, but when something managed to break through his composure, his outbursts were unpredictable and on a much grander scale than hers. It could easily lead into her losing another friend. Still they shared a similar cause for their anger. Even though it was Silani's decision in the end, they both felt guilty, as if they had failed her. That she couldn't trust them enough to tell them of what was going on with her. Now, all that they could do was to at least make things better for her and get some justice in the end.

**\- o . O . o -**

It was late in the day when a week later Isra finally managed to gather up enough courage to face Silani. No matter how hard she tried, she had exhausted all of her other options and was still getting nowhere. Every action she chose to take now presented its own risks and each step she took could cause her to fail in her mission. She felt trapped and it was a feeling she hated fiercely. Seeing no point of standing around and thinking about it, after being immersed in all these thoughts every sleepless night since it happened, Isra decided to take the risk.

After being made tranquil, Silani was put to work in one of the many Circle's archives. This particular one was placed on the same floor as the Knight-Commander's office, only a level below the Templar's quarters. This fact served only to infuriate Isra more. The least Hadley could do, after he was provided with the information she had given him, was to transfer Silani as far away from the Templar's quarters as possible. If the people who abused her before wanted to do so again, he had just made it a lot easier for them to do so.

The archive was small and housed a few important and very useful documents of the Order, kept in near proximity of Knight-Commander's quarters due to convenience. Isra had no intention of entering the archive itself. Doing so would prove nearly impossible and also paint a large target on her back, for all the Templars to have a go at. Lacking a death wish and a grand ambition, she only wanted to speak with Silani alone, which was proving to be quite the challenge. Since becoming a tranquil, Silani has been under constant observation which came with the necessary guidance, to integrate her into her new role.

In the end Isra was left with only two viable options. The best option was to wait for Silani to finish her work within the archives and stopping her on her return journey to her new quarters the Circle's tranquil shared. The second was to just visit her in those quarters, but it was a much riskier proposition. Even though the tranquil weren't prone to eavesdropping or invading ones private conversation, they were still able to inform the Templars of said conversations, which was something that Isra was trying to avoid. The other problem she faced now and which worried her in addition to everything else, was that now that Silani was turned tranquil, Isra had no way of knowing she wouldn't also do so. Silani was under no obligation to listen, answer or even keep their conversation a secret and it all really depended on her current priorities, which were completely unknown to Isra.

She timed her approach to the archive with precision. All she needed was a little time, a hallway free of Templars and an alcove in which she could hide and call out to Silani as she passed. Everything else depended on her former friend. Passing nonchalantly by the two sentries guarding the archives, she turned left into a corridor she knew Silani would have to cross on her way back to her new quarters.

Hiding in the shadows behind a nearest stature Isra didn't have to wait very long. She felt a chill down her spine as she saw Silani. She looked the same, but the way she walked and held herself was now completely different. The whole effect was unnerving.

Quietly clearing her throat, Isra sent a quick prayer to the Maker, steeling herself. She desperately needed this to go over well. "Silani!" It was barely more than a whisper, but it was enough. Silani turned around, looking for the source of the call. "Over here." Isra's palms were sweaty and starting to shake a bit. She bit the insides of her cheeks, the change in her friend was extremely obvious. This was a completely different person. As much as a tranquil can be a person.

"Isra." Silani said in a monotone as she noticed her.

"Shhh. Not so loud." The tone of Silani's voice made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. This was definitely one of the most surreal and horrifying occurrences of her life. Isra coughed again, trying to clear her throat. "Come here. I need to talk to you." Her voice cracked; she felt as if she was devoured by desperation from within. "Please."

Silani moved closer completely devoid of the notion of subtlety. Isra realised she needed to get over this fast, if they were not to be discovered. "Remember the letter you left me?"

"Yes."

"Of course you do. Sorry, stupid question." Isra laughed nervously, trying to calm herself and diffuse her inner turmoil. "The Templars. Who attacked you. Can you tell me anything more about them?"

"No."

Isra had considered and prepared for that reply but it surprised her nonetheless. "You can't or you won't?"

"It is ill advised for you to pursue this line of inquiry." Silani watched her with cold eyes, devoid of all emotion, but the warning was clear enough.

"Silani. I am doing this for you." Isra felt her voice tremble; she was very close to breaking down in tears. If she did not found out anything tonight, her investigation would come to a stop. She felt a sense of helplessness and desperation slowly growing inside her. "Please." The last came out in a whisper.

Silani continued to look at her dispassionately. "The gesture is appreciated." the monotone voice did nothing, to make it seem so "But it is ill advised. It would be prudent for you to return back to your dormitories now. Goodbye." She offered a polite nod to Isra, then turned and shuffled away as if nothing happened. It was too much. Isra felt her composure crack as she fell down, breaking out in tears. She cried for the first time since she discovered that Silani became a tranquil.

**\- o . O . o –**

It was late when Isra finally managed to calm herself down. She felt mentally and physically exhausted and the only thing she cared for at this very moment, was sleep. She was grateful that nobody else came through the hallway she was in, silently crying her heart out. It wasn't that she feared being discovered, it was the brief isolation that it offered, allowing her privacy. It was not a state one could easily stumble upon in the limitations of the Circle's tower and its fairly large population.

Isra slowly sneaked back through the darkened hallways of the tower, mulling over the whole situation. She needed to find another way to gain more information and was seriously considering involving Mica. He would help for sure, she just wasn't sure if she would wish to expose her friend like that. Her whole investigation was risky as it was and could end up in her being killed, imprisoned or made tranquil, if she stepped on the wrong foot during it.

It wasn't necessary for her to sneak anymore, it wasn't that late that her presence in the hallways could be deemed suspicious and she found the slow walk back to her dormitory relaxing. It allowed her to think. Her musing were interrupted however, as she passed the hallway leading to the dining hall. She stopped right next to the door leading to one of the studies a few senior enchanters occasionally used. There were no Templars in the hallway. It was completely deserted. A strange sense of disquiet started to grip her. Usually the sentries were spaced out at regular intervals, but she hadn't seen any. At least two sentries were missing.

Isra decided to proceed slowly, her senses becoming more alert with each step she took. She could have sworn she heard steps behind her. Turning around she saw no one. Still, she preferred to err on the safer side of caution. She moved silently into a darkened doorway, hiding herself from plain view and waited.

It wasn't long before a Templar, wearing a helmet appeared, moving in the same direction as she was before. What surprised Isra was the fact that the Templar was of slight built, indicating a female form and that she was moving painstakingly slow, occasionally stopping and turning her head as if to listen for something. Isra felt her heart rate speed up. The Templar was following someone and Isra would bet her life it was her.

Suddenly the Templar stopped completely in the middle of the hallway. Isra watched as her pursuer turned towards the nearest doorway. Isra clenched her teeth together in determination. She needed to move, but she had absolutely no choice of doing so undetected. Taking a chance as soon as the Templar opened the next door, Isra opened the door behind her and let them close, creating the impression of just leaving the room, as she casually strolled away from the Templar. The footsteps followed her almost immediately. Isra half expected for her pursuer to grab her or catch up to her, but that did not happened. The Templar only followed her, matching her pace.

The tension was starting to drive Isra insane. She felt as if she was led into a trap laid out for her and she knew she had absolutely no way out. This hallway was strictly straightforward, with no useful nooks or crannies leading to secret passages that could help her escape.

Deciding to take another risk she stopped and turned back to face her pursuer. The Templar stopped with her and immediately grabbed her sword. Isra quietly observed the gesture, her heart beating so loudly she was afraid the Templar was able to hear it. Swallowing her fear Isra took one step towards the Templar, who pulled the sword out an inch, which caused Isra to freeze in her step.

"What is the meaning of this?" Isra managed to ask with confidence, she didn't felt.

She received absolutely no reply. A few moments dragged on, both of them stock still, until the Templar decided to move forward, pulling out her sword completely. Isra's reaction was immediate. She turned her back on the Templar and started walking away as fast as she could, wanting to get away. The steps followed her, clearly catching up to her. Isra felt truly frightened for the first time in her life. She was being haunted and she didn't care to find out what for. Without thinking she started to run as fast as she could. The Circle's dining hall was at the end of this hallway and there were bound to be people there.

Her pursuer was close behind her as she turned the corner and saw the closed of entrance to the dining hall as the door suddenly opened and a group of Templars stepped through. They seemed to be arguing with someone on the other side of the door as one of them noticed her running in their direction.

His reaction was immediate as he pushed through the door starting to run towards her. "Get down!"

His voice sounded oddly familiar and Isra didn't need to be told twice. She had no idea if this was meant for her or someone else, but it seemed like a good suggestion either way and she flung herself down, barely in time to hear the sword swishing above where her head was just a moment ago. The whole room erupted in chaos after that. Templars started fighting Templars, her pursuer tripping over her and knocking the wind out of her. A close encounter with full metal boots proved to be an extremely painful ordeal as Isra gasped for air.

As soon as she was able, she scrambled away from the fighting trying to make sense of it. There were Templars on either side, from what she could tell it was four against three, one of them her pursuer who was closest to her, fighting the one who called out to her. They were locked in a fierce battle, which her pursuer seemed to be winning, pushing him back against the wall. Isra reacted before she could think things through. Standing up she moved quickly and grabbed the female Templar by her robes, pulling away as hard as she could. It was not the most glamorous fighting move as they go, but it provided an opening for her defender to step in and slam her pursuer in the face, causing her to fall on her back. This time Isra moved away quickly enough to prevent herself from being crushed by the falling plate-encased body.

The fall knocked the Templar's weapon out of her hands and Isra quickly picked it up, sending it skidding down the hallway away from the fight. Her defender was already busy trying to restrain the assailant on the ground when Isra's legs suddenly gave up and the ground rushed to meet her. The last thing she remembered was a searing pain erupting somewhere near the back of her head, before the the whole world went black.

* * *

**Oh and before I go: Happy St. Paddy's day to everyone! :P**

**Hope the morning after is treating you better than what Isra will have to deal with. *cue in maniacal laughter* nah...just kidding. **

**Or am I? ****}:-)**


	6. Chapter 6

Isra was lost in a world of pain. She was fairly certain a part of her head was missing, or at least that there was a monstrous hole somewhere near the back of her neck, but she was too afraid to check.

"Look! I think she's coming to!"

Isra winced at the sound. It was a high-pitched female voice, she did not recognise, but was sending spikes of pain through her brain with each spoken syllable.

"Thank the Maker!"

A male, more pleasant sounding voice added. It sounded awfully familiar to Isra. Not that it really mattered to whom it belonged in the end, she noted, as long as it speaks instead of the other, screechy one.

"Good. Wake her up."

A deeper male voice commanded forcefully. Isra winced again. _No_. _No waking up_. _Bad idea_. Isra willed with all the power of her pain-encased mind. "_No_…" The sound of her own voice made her cringe. How come she never noticed how croaked and screechy her own voice was?

"Come on. Wake up. You're safe now."

The pleasant male voice gently crooned in her ear. Was someone holding her head? Isra didn't remember lifting it up. Or moving at all.

"Here. Give her some water."

The female voice said again, this time sounding a little less screechy, but it still made her head hurt.

"Thank you. Here. Drink this."

Isra felt her head being lifted and what was most likely a cup gently touch her lips. She drank reflexively. It was heaven. She never knew water could taste as delicious as it did at this very moment.

"Ser. We're ordered to report immediately." A forth voice chimed in. Also male. Isra felt her senses were making a slow, but steady return back to their proper place.

"Of course. Cullen?" The deeper voice answered. This mist have been an older Templar she saw fighting the other Templars. The ones who were apparently in league with her pursuer. Isra's mind was helpfully starting to work again slowly, piecing together the memories of the fight, that happened…before? How much time did it pass since then, Isra wondered.

"Right away."

The pleasant male voice answered, from somewhere near her. Isra could swear she felt its vibrations flow through the left side of her body, as if she was very near its owner. Deciding to attempt to finally wake up, she slowly opened her eyes and nearly chocked on her water. It was _him_. _The_ Templar. He was the one holding her up, giving her water. Isra reflexively pushed herself free from his arms and fell unceremoniously on the floor, trying to cough out the water, while also attempting to deal with the pain erupting through her head all over again. It was too much to deal with at once. She curled up into a tiny ball on the floor, only partly aware of someone stroking her back, helping her to clear up her airways. The pain was almost unbearable and it was starting to make her feel sick. Someone was holding her up.

"Breathe. Just breathe." The female voice gently repeated and Isra decided to take its advice. It sounded sensible enough.

Successfully managing to restrain her urge to vomit all over the floor, Isra breathed slowly, allowing reality to slowly reassemble again into some sense of normalcy.

"Here. Let me through." _Anders_. Isra wished the ground would open and swallowed her whole. Her pain-addled brain, unhelpfully decided to remind her of the dream from a few nights ago, causing her to turn bright pink as his healing magic gently cursed through her body. Isra remained staring at the floor, cursing her own existence as reality kicked in. This had to be the worst day of her life. First Silani, than the attack, than The Templar whose name apparently Cullen, and now _Anders_. Fucking sexy _Anders_. She sighed loudly. The pain was completely gone, as was her exhaustion from before she lost her consciousness. It seemed as if ages had passed since the stalking Templar on the prowl, but somehow she felt worse than ever before. "Better?"

Isra acknowledged the question with a short nod. Her rational mind decided to escape, unable to cope with all that was going on in her head at this very moment.

"Here." Isra took the proffered hand without question and slowly pulled herself up. It was the woman who offered it. A young female Templar.

"Thank you." Isra noticed her own voice was starting to sound normal again, if a little raspy from all the coughing.

The young Templar nodded in acknowledgment, looking mildly embarrassed as she murmured a quiet reply, Isra barely caught "…the least I could do."

"We will need you to come with us." An older Templar commanded, refocusing Isra's runaway mind. She recognised his deep voice from a few moments ago, when the world was still black and made much more sense in than it did now. She also recognised him by sight. He was one of the Templar-Lieutenants in charge of the guards patrolling the first floor, Ser Brian. Even though she had the tendency to ignore most of the Templar presence around her, she kept a careful track of any ranked officers within the Templar order. Especially those in charge of areas she ordinarily had to sneak about at night to reach the Cove. It was important to know their usual modus operandi, if nothing else, for the knowledge of how it could affect those nightly patrols. Some officers were more lax than others and that severely reflected in the attitudes and rigorousness of the guards patrolling the grounds under their command. Ser Brian in particular was known to be quite severe and demanding, which usually meant that Isra and her friends avoided sneaking about during the nights he was in charge.

"What? Why?" Her mouth spoke, before her mind could think things through. She immediately bit her tongue.

"We need some answers." That was all the answer he was prepared to offer her, before he turned around and started marching down the hall, clearly expecting the others to follow him.

"Come." The young female Templar said next to her.

Isra really didn't have the energy to object. Someone had to make sense of the situation they were in and it might as well be the Templars who apparently just saved her life. Before she took a step though, she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. Looking back to see who it was, her heart nearly jumped into her mouth.

"Are you all right?" Anders asked quietly indicating that they should move. The female Templar stayed alongside them, carefully observing.

Isra sincerely wished he didn't ask the question. Or talk to her at all. It was kind of him, but embarrassing for her as her little crush started to interfere with her ability to think straight again. She only nodded in reply, avoiding his gaze.

"Good. We'll talk later." He offered her a warm smile that made her insides melt, before he turned away and left. Isra let out a deep sigh of relief. A part of her was almost giddy. _He_ wanted to talk to her. Another part was terrified. He _wanted_ to talk to her. What could she possibly say to him? Nothing ever made sense in her head when he was around.

"He's…something." Isra was surprised to see the female Templar interrupt the silence.

"Er...I guess so." Isra felt unsure whether she should say anything more. She had never spent so much time talking to the Templars as she did in the last few weeks. It was still a new and uncomfortably unnerving experience.

The female Templar laughed warmly at Isra's answer. "Just be careful." It didn't sound like a threat. It sounded more like a friendly advice. The Templar seemed likable enough and had a spark that reminded Isra of Silani a little, even if she was probably the one, who hit her on the head. Her guilty look and comment from a few moments ago sure made it seem so.

Isra answered with a slight smile. "Oh, I will." She was familiar with Anders' reputation. He'd managed to escape the Circle five times already and was notorious for his luck in surviving each attempt. Isra wondered how long his luck would last, but she also recognised it was part of his charm. One of the reasons she found him so attractive and the Templars much less so.

The Templar answered with a smile of her own and a nod. "Good."

Emboldened by their little exchange Isra decided to risk a question. "We're going to the Knight-Commander's office I presume?"

The Templar looked at her, a more serious expression on her face as she nodded in reply. "Someone needs to make some sense of this situation."

**\- . o . O . o . -**

The antechamber of the Knight-Commander's private office seemed almost crowded as Isra waited, flanked by Cullen on one side and the female Templar on the other. They were standing in an awkward silence, listening to the sound of raised voices coming from the inside of the office. A couple of other Templars were running to and fro from the office, relaying messages and orders to people in the tower, while offering glimpses of a furious Knight-Commander, busy barking those orders. Ser Brian was inside with him, looking as furious as his superior officer, but visibly keeping it in check for the most part. It was like someone poked a stick into a hornet's nest, Isra thought.

"This is a mess." She quietly commented, breaking the awkward silence. She couldn't stand the tense atmosphere the silence was creating.

"You can say that again." The female Templar commented quietly, as Cullen murmured something in confirmation.

It was strange, but no matter how uncomfortable or worried Isra felt about the whole situation, she felt at ease with the two young Templars standing beside her. It was a bizarre feeling; she would never have thought possible to have only a week ago.

"You. Come here." Ser Brian barked at her as the door to the office opened again. Isra found herself almost jumping to attention. Ser Brian had a very strange, if scary effect on people, she noted to herself as she followed him obediently inside.

The Knight-Commander Gregoir somehow seemed larger up close, filling up his private office with an authoritative presence, than could only be rivalled by the First Enchanter. But even Irving could never pull off a furious and disapproving look that currently graced Knight-Commander's features. Isra had to make a conscious effort to prevent herself from fidgeting or bolting out of the door.

"This is the apprentice." Ser Brian introduced her with a curt nod, indicating that she should step forward. Isra obliged immediately.

The Knight-Commander offered her a piercing gaze that almost made her take a step back. She bit the insides of her cheeks, trying to appear calmer than she felt. "Your name apprentice?" It sounded more of an order, than a question, causing Isra to flinch a bit. Before she could answer though, the doors were suddenly slammed open and the First-Enchanter entered the room, followed quickly by Knight-Captain Hadley.

"Is what I'm hearing true? An apprentice was attacked by a Templar in broad-daylight?"

The Knight-Commander sent a scalding look to Hadley, who looked extremely apologetic. Isra almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "From what I hear it happened only about an hour ago, so not in broad-daylight, but yes. Apparently she was. And now I'm trying to find out why and how it happened. So if you please…" It was clear that it pained him to say that, with barely concealed exasperation bubbling under the polite façade.

"In that case. Please. Continue." Irving smiled nodding his head in his kind, grandfatherly way, but which clearly stated he had completely different inclinations under it. He had a devious mind, and Isra had seen him twirl his diplomatic skill with brutal efficiency on the Knight-Commander on more than a few prior occasions. The Knight-Commander was theoretically the leader of the Circle, but in reality most decisions that passed, were always somehow influenced by the First-Enchanter. It was clear that Gregoir was aware of that fact, if one judged by his current soured facial expression.

The First-Enchanter's presence had a completely different effect on Isra though. It calmed her down enough, so she was able to think straight again.

"Your name, apprentice?" The Knight-Commander repeated, acerbity dripping from every syllable.

"Isr - … Solona Amell." Isra cleared her throat. It was strange saying her birth name out loud again. "Isra. Otherwise." Seeing the confusion on the Knight-Commander's face, she was just about to explain it, when Irving interrupted her.

"Isra is a name the girl's friends use." He said with a grandfatherly smile towards her. Isra almost swallowed her heart. She had no idea that the First-Enchanter knew that. She had never spoken with the man in person up until this very moment. Then again Hayes called her that, so he must have been the one to pass that bit of information to the First-Enchanter.

"Ser." Hadley chimed in, his voice carrying a worried note to it. "This was the apprentice who came to me a week ago. About that elven tranquil girl."

The change in Gregoir's face was instantaneous. "That could explain a lot." He sighed out loud, his previous furry deflating quickly, being replaced by worry. Isra had never seen him look so tired. Or old.

"Explain what?" Irving interrupted before he could add anything else, his eyes narrowing, grandfatherly persona quickly dissipating. "What are you talking about?"

Isra remained quiet, her own thoughts starting to chime in. If the Knight-Commander's reaction was anything to go by, it could mean that the attack was connected with the investigation into the Silani's abusers. It would certainly explain a lot, the only question that remained was whose investigation was the one that lead to the attack. Isra's mind was racing with implications. If her investigation was the one who set the whole thing off, there was no way she was leaving this chamber without it being exposed. And that could mean that her knowledge of the guard patrols, and her nightly activities would be exposed with it. There was no way she could avoid any kind of punishment for that, even if the circumstances would or could mitigate it a little bit. It also put Mica at risk, due to their association. She pushed away the panic that was starting to build up inside her, and focused back on what was going on in front of her.

Gregoir sighed. "Apparently this apprentice approached Hadley a week ago, with an accusation that the elven girl who underwent a Rite in that time, did so due to the abuse she received at the hands of a group of Templars. It was mostly baseless accusation, but we still decided to perform an internal investigation to check, if there _could_ be any truth to those accusations."

"Apparently there was." Irving pointed out curtly.

Gregoir nodded slowly, leaning back on the large table behind him. "It certainly appears so. However I will not jump to any conclusions until a thorough investigation into today's incident is performed. The attackers have already been placed into confinement, until they are lucid enough to be interrogated. From what I understand, most of them were knocked-out." At this he sent an inquiring glance at Ser Brian, who offered a short affirmative nod.

"And what of the implications?" Irving interrupted again. "Clearly the girl's identity was known to them."

"I am well aware of those implications." The Knight-Commander answered a steely note in his tone. "But the only other person who knew about the attack, beside me and Hadley, was the tranquil who was examining the guard patrols in the last year or so. Our investigation was still only at the beginning and kept secret. It hasn't yet uncovered anything substantial."

Isra never thought she could look guiltier as she did right now, staring at her feet and blushing furiously. She felt the tips of her ears burning. She was right all along. The Templar's investigation was slow, taking it's time, while hers…was a completely different matter. She really had no alternative than to tell them. She was attacked once already and survived only through happenstance. Next time she may not be so lucky and while it pained her to admit it, the Templars were the only ones who could provide her protection at this very moment. And if not them then the First-Enchanter could certainly do something in that regard. If she trusted anyone in this very room at this moment, it was him. All that remained now for her was to play down her own knowledge. Yet again. But this time, she was cutting it awfully close.

Isra cleared her throat again, this time a little louder. "If I may…" The attention of all four men in the room shifted on her, and she felt as if a tremendous weight was suddenly placed on her shoulders. "I…may know…more. About this attack." She coughed again, unsuccessfully trying to clear her throat of a massive lump starting to form there.

"Of course you do." The Knight-Commander sighed, pinching the bride of his nose.

Irving stepped in closer. "Go ahead child." His eyes were warm, with a hint of curiosity, mixing with compassion reflecting in them. Isra recognised the meaning behind his words. He would protect her, if need be.

Isra took a long breath, clearing her throat again. "For the last few days I've been conducting a little research of my own." The Knight-Commander straightened at this, sending her a scalding look, but she continued, before he could interrupt her with a scolding remark. "It's not that I didn't trust the formal investigation. I was impatient and it was…the only way I could cope with…what happened. I needed to occupy myself." She let out a shaky breath, steering her thoughts away from Silani. She didn't want to cry again. Especially not in front of her current audience Irving offered her an encouraging nod and she took another breath to continue. "It was nothing big. I just asked around a few people – mostly apprentices. If anything like that had happened to them or if they knew anyone to whom it did." So far so good, but there was no way she could convincingly downplay her own knowledge of the Templar's nightly patrols. Apprentices generally didn't have that information. "I…" She took another breath, hoping for an inspiration that could help her talk herself out of this mess. "I…also…did some research into the guard's patrols in along the second floor. Where the incidents allegedly occurred…"

"And what did you find?" The question seemed innocent enough. But the Knight-Commander's eyes betrayed something else. One wrong word and she could be walking into a trap.

"Not much really." Another truth, but she doubted it would satisfy her interrogators. "A couple of names, on the list of potential suspects, but those are literally just about all of the Templars patrolling that area. I hadn't even managed to narrow it down yet, due to the fact that my investigation hit a dead end." It was also another truth. She doubted that fifteen Templars listed on her personal list were all involved in this. For one thing one of them was standing right behind her, after he had just saved her from her pursuer. She told as much to the Knight-Commander. "I was running out of options, and I decided to visit Silani today, to see if she could provide me with some more information in regards to her attackers."

"And?"

"She refused to say anything. She only warned against further pursuing of my investigation. Then I went back to my dormitory, and a Templar started following me. After I asked her why she was doing so, she refused to give me an answer. Unsheathed her sword. And…well started chasing me. I ran. Not much else to say really. The rest you probably already know."

"I see." The Knight-Commander seemed lost in thoughts.

"We have a lead, Ser. The attack was foiled. We can try to gain more information by interrogating our captives." Hadley offered.

The Knight-Commander nodded slowly. "Of course. But we mustn't forget about the tranquil. She knows something." He looked up as if he just remembered that Isra was still in the office with them. Straightening up he centred his full attention back towards Isra. "As for you. You are forbidden from pursuing your own little investigation. However you will hand over any information you've already gathered." He paused, looking at her severely. Even so Isra didn't really need the additional enforcement. She was terrified of him as it was, and was busy swearing to herself to be more careful next time and also to cooperate with the Order in any way she could. She needed the goodwill that could come out of it, if it came with even the slightest guarantee that her continued transgressions could have any chance to be disregarded.

Isra nodded obediently. "Of course."

"You will also be given a round the clock escort for protection." In other words, she was to receive a guard set to watch over her every move, making sure she would stay in line. Isra sighed, cursing internally, but nodding obediently nonetheless. "Good. Ser Brian."

"Ser."

Isra felt a hand on her upper arm, indicating that she should leave. Irving nodded to her encouragingly, offering her a reassuring smile as she was lead through the door by Ser Brian.

Outside Cullen and the Female Templar were still standing at attention, right where she left them.

"Raja, Cullen. You are to be in charge of this apprentice's safety until further notice, by the Knight-Commander's orders. Raja you take the first watch, so please escort the apprentice back to her dormitory. Cullen, you wait here. I'll need to have a word with you after I'm done here."

Both of them snapped to attention, affirming the order. After Ser Brian left Cullen resumed his more casual stand, and Raja approached Isra, a friendly smile on her face.

"Well. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the next few days."

Isra sighed, returning her smile. "Looks like. I'm called Isra by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Isra. Rajani. Raja for short." Raja said with a nod and a smile.

Isra returned the nod and then glanced at Cullen, unsure whether they needed any introduction. She settled for a smile and a nod, which resulted in a slight blush on his face. Even so he returned a nod, keeping his attention focused on a spot somewhere above the door leading to the Knight-Commander's office.

"Em. Sorry about the head." Raja answered, with a cough.

Isra grinned at her obvious embarrassment. "So it was you! No worries. I'll survive. Just keep me alive long enough, that I can safely claim the same, when all this is done."

"Will do." Raja said with an answering grin, relief obvious on her face.

Isra heard a scoff in the background, coming from Cullen's direction. "You better. I mean…I er…we'll protect you." He quickly added, his blush deepening. "You'll be safe." He cleared his throat, quickly returning his attention back towards the invisible spot above the door.

Raja rolled her eyes at his reaction and then turned back towards Isra. "Shall we?"

"Lets."

This will be interesting, Isra thought to herself as she left the Knight-Commander's private office, accompanied by one of her new guards.


	7. Chapter 7

Isra was unable to sleep that night with the events from a couple of hours ago haunting her. Silani's words were echoing in her head, keeping her awake all night. A dozen questions were swirling around her mind, most of all what was the reason behind those words.

Silani could have been just warning her away. Isra knew continuing with her own investigation could lead to a dangerous outcome, but she disregarded the obvious danger due to the anger that fuelled her actions, pushing her further. On the other hand Silani could also have been ordered to do so, to dissuade Isra from any further research, her words serving as a warning coming from those who violated her friend in the first place. But who could be behind that order? And that was the chilling thought that kept Isra awake all night, fighting the need to get up and do something.

**\- o . O . o -**

Cullen was already waiting for her by the door of her dormitory the next day. Isra quickly discovered she felt a lot more comfortable with Raja, than with him. The knowledge that he supposedly liked her, made her feel awkwardly self-conscious. Suddenly she was aware of every step she took, of how she took it, with her legs developing a mind of their own, leading her to trip on the hem of her robes more than a couple of times.

Isra had never had an admirer, and the feeling that came from it caused her to behave almost as if _she_ was the one with the crush on him. What made things worse was the fact that he was a bit older than her, which gave him a certain exotic air, only enchanted by the fact that he was far from being ugly, a Templar and apparently possessed a similar talent for stuttering and blushing incessantly.

Nonetheless, he managed to keep up a professional façade today far better than she did. He didn't say a word from the moment she had stepped out onto the hallway, only nodding slightly in greeting, keeping his eyes focused on a spot somewhere above her head. That pretty much summed up their interaction through the greater part of the morning as she attended her classes. He quietly followed her, preoccupied with looking everywhere else except at her, but she still felt as if she was walking around naked.

The fact that every single apprentice she had met since waking up was also staring at her, only made things worse. It appeared that by now, everyone in the tower was aware or has heard about the incident. The Templar bodyguard following her about only served to heighten her new status as an infamous social pariah. Now, everywhere she went people moved away, as if she had the blight, busy avoiding her and gawking at them at the same time.

It was a nightmare.

"Isra!"

She breathed a sigh of relief as she turned around towards the source of the call. Mica was running towards her, concern clearly written on his face.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he hugged her, ignoring the numerous people staring at them. Isra closed her eyes, hugging him back. It was the exact thing she needed for comfort right now. His arms offered her a short reprieve from the feeling of being overexposed.

"When I heard what happened… I…"

Isra didn't say anything, only kept hugging him back. He was her lifeline at the moment, and she was reluctant to let it go.

"Are you alright?"

He pushed her away enough to see her face and she nodded quickly, providing him a brief attempt at a brave smile. She was shaken from the whole experience and the sleepless night was taking a toll on her nerves, deflating her anger. At the moment she was just exhausted, emotionally drained from all the stress.

His attention was almost immediately being drawn to something behind her, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. She didn't need to turn around to look back, to know exactly what he was looking at.

"My bodyguard." She quietly mouthed towards Mica.

His surprise was quickly replaced by a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "Right." Mica commented quietly, nodding his head slowly. "Of course. Him."

Isra laughed out loud. The whole situation was surreal to her, almost to the point of being absurd. She shook her head, still laughing but feeling better with each second. She needed the laughter, her body needed it and it helped to diffuse the situation, relieve her stressed out mind.

"I know, right?" Isra said in a conspiratorial whisper, her laughter was dying down slowly. "_Him_. And he kind of saved me yesterday. To top it all off." She added quietly, looking back at the Templar. She had relieved that yesterday's fight numerous times already and each time, she heard his voice calling to her to get down, running towards her, slamming her pursuer back on the wall. Everything he did or said in that moment was impressive and she'd lie if she didn't admit that her knees went a little soft with each recollection of the memory.

Right now he was trying his best to give Mica and her a bit of privacy, observing their surroundings and probably looking for any potential threats. His face was set in grim determination that almost looked to be hiding his own turmoil. She offered him a slight smile as his gaze turned in their direction for a few seconds, causing him to look away quickly.

"I can't believe it. You're sweet on him." Mica's voice brought her back from her musings.

"What? No?" Isra tried to object quickly, but even to her own ears those objections sounded false.

It was Mica's turn to laugh out loud in amusement. "Oh this is rich."

"Don't be daft! No." This time she managed to say it with a more conviction than before, and he quieted down, silly grin still plastered on his face.

"Of course not." He whispered with a conspiratorial wink.

Isra punched him in the arm. "Sarcastic bastard. I said NO."

Mica was still laughing, as he rubbed his arm in a dramatic attempt to pretend he was fatally wounded. "All right, all right hold on to your undergarments. There is no need for violence."

Isra sent him, what she hoped would be, a scolding look that would manage to impress even the Knight-Commander, promising him tremendous bodily harm if he added any other commentary in regards to her definitely non-existent crush. She only wished she could convince herself of its lack of existence.

"Meet me for lunch later?" Mica quickly changed the subject.

"You know I can't. Today I have another practice meeting with enchanter Hayes." Isra sighed tiredly. Just thinking about it managed to rob her of any remains of energy that still lingered in her body.

"Well, how about after?"

"Sure." Isra nodded quickly. She could definitely use some friendly company after all of this. There were still some things she needed to process, and there was no other person she would rather discuss it through, than Mica.

"Good. See you then." He quickly gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, accompanied with a warm smile and a hug. It definitely had the effect of restoring a little of her depleted energy and she smiled gratefully.

"See you."

Isra took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. This will be a long day. Even so, she felt better equipped for dealing with it, than she did a just couple of moments ago. And this time, even her legs started to behave normally again as she started down the hallway towards her next lesson, without tripping once.

**\- o . O . o -**

Enchanter Hayes was already waiting for her in the empty classroom they usually used for practice, but he was not alone. With him was another tall, young, dark haired man, Isra had already seen about in the tower before.

"There you are." Hayes offered her a warm smile smiled as he noticed her hesitate at the door. "Come. Isra, I'd like to introduce you to Karl. Karl this is Isra. She is the apprentice I've been talking about."

Karl smiled politely, nodding in greeting.

"You've been talking about me? Nothing bad I hope." Isra made a vain attempt at a jest. She knew how bad she was at performing certain spells, but she hoped against hope that her inability was not as notorious as her incident the day before. She got tired of hearing about it. One would think that if you plan to gossip, you'd at least do it in a quieter way, so that the object of your rumour would not hear you when they'd walk by. It seemed this was a lesson none of the Circle's residents had ever learned, as Isra found out during the day. Apparently living in a closed off community in a Tower meant that any kind of privacy was completely none-existent. Isra had hoped that her suspicions regarding the rampart gossip permeating the Tower were a bit exaggerated, but it turned out they were overly optimistic to begin with.

"No, nothing too bad. Karl is here to help us with your mastery of entropic spells. I had hoped that a change in the subject matter to one closer to destruction, would serve as a nice change. And that his own expertise of the subject could help you work around your…difficulties." Hayes answered with his charming smile. At least he didn't mention anything about the incident, Isra thought. Well, yet.

"I intend to try at least." Karl added with his own smile.

"That sounds…optimistic." Isra commented dejectedly.

Hayes laughed in response. "Indeed. But have a little faith little one. You're not a hopeless case."

Isra sighed slumping herself into a nearby chair. "I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss my level of hopelessness. It could surprise you with how low it can go."

"And I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the professional opinion of your tutors." Hayes added, dropping a stack of books on the table in front of her.

"I thought that we could…" Karl stopped in mid-sentence as Cullen entered through the door, draft causing them to slam behind him.

"Em…s-sorry." Cullen whispered quickly, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"Oh that's my..." Isra cursed inwardly. It was going so well, no mention of the incident whatsoever, and then her clumsy "guard" just drew attention to it.

"Yes. We know." Hayes interrupted her. "Just keep out of the way, boy."

Isra breathed a sigh of relief. There was no need for additional explanations and Enchanter Hayes clearly had no intention of bringing it up again. It happened only a day ago, but Isra found that she was sick and tired of her newfound celebrity status. The inane questions and looks of sympathy were starting to drive her crazy already.

"Y-yes. Of course." Cullen placed himself next to the door, looking apologetically. Isra almost felt sorry for him. She forgot how harsh Hayes could be and that 'boy', had been laced with a special level of acerbity.

"Good. Let's start then." Hayes added with a slight nod toward Karl who sent an encouraging smile towards Isra.

**\- o . O . o -**

At the end of the session Isra felt closer to dropping down and a little less pessimistic about her own abilities. Karl had a way of explaining the process of performing certain spells that Isra actually understood which in the end resulted in her having an easier time with them.

"I think this concludes our lesson for today." Karl said with a tired, but still warm smile.

"Excellent work." Hayes added with a wide grin. "I believe we could move on to more demanding spells in just a couple of weeks."

"A couple of weeks?" Isra didn't bother to hide her own disbelief. The improvement from a couple of weeks ago was more than obvious and she couldn't help but feel a bit better about her own magical abilities, but she still felt that such a prognosis leaned on the overly optimistic/completely fictional side.

"It is quite feasible. However I'll need you to do some reading in the meantime. Consider this your homework until the next week." Karl added as he placed a book in her hands.

Isra turned the book in her hands. _Entropy 101: A quick guide for dimwits to the world of crippling thy enemies._ "I'm confused. You're both trying so valiantly to convince me of something, while the title clearly states otherwise."

"I admit, the title does sound a little contradictorily in regards to what we just said. But I assure you it's meant to be ironic." Karl explained, with a reassuring smile. "We, entropic mages have a very…particular and not so subtle sense of humour. As I'm sure you'll find out over the next few weeks. Do not let it dissuade you."

"Right. As you say." Isra said, clearly unconvinced. Even so, Karl left a good impression on her. Throughout the lesson he was warm and kind, if a little too polite. He was only a couple of years older than her, but he had the tendency to behave closer to someone in his 40s.

"You'll see what I mean as you read through it." Karl answered with a wink.

Isra nodded. "I sure hope so. See you next week then?"

Karl nodded in reply. "Most definitely."

"Oh and Isra. Before you go…" Hayes chimed in, just as she was about to leave. "…try to avoid playing tag with fully armed Templars next time. It never ends particularly well."

Isra felt herself blushing from the embarrassment, but she still managed to send him a highly annoyed look. "You don't say." And here she was just about to proclaim victory of the day, for avoiding talking about the incident from the day before.

**\- o . O . o . -**

The sleepless night was slowly catching up to Isra as she ambled back to her dormitory. She still had some time left until she would have to meet up with Mica, so she decided to go for a quick nap. It was better than hugging passing walls, trying to keep herself upright.

Her bodyguard seemed tense, and was looking at her in a funny way, but she was too far gone to care about anything else, but sleep.

"I…I'm just…need sleep." Isra barely managed to get the words out when they arrived in front of the door to her dormitory. She never knew that talking could be such a chore.

Cullen nodded. "I…I'll have to… Raja will take over. After you…wake up."

Isra was torn between relief and disappointment at this news. She had embarrassed herself enough for one day, first tripping over her robes, her weird outburst when she met Mica and then letting Cullen discover just how terrible she really was at magic. Even so the fleeting disappointment she felt at his leaving surprised her. Apparently she liked him enough to miss him. A little.

"Oh...well. Thank you." Isra smiled, feeling silly and awkward at the same time. Why in the world was she thanking him for leaving?

He nodded again, offering her a smile of his own. "I…em. You're welcome. Sweet dreams."

Isra giggled softly, before she could stop herself. She quickly focused at her feet, being unable to look into his eyes as memories of her dream about him started to creep up in her head. She felt her blush starting to intensify, as she heard him clear his throat.

"I. Er. I should go."

Isra nodded, still focused on her feet, as she quickly turned and nearly ran through the door of her dormitory. It had to be hormones, Isra thought bitterly as she tried to still her racing heart. She threw herself on her bed and quietly screamed into her pillow. Why on earth was her own mind working against her? He wasn't even _that_ pretty.

**\- o . O . o -**

A delicious smell woke her up.

"Welcome back."

"Mica!"

"Me! I figured you'd be hungry." He was slowly waving a still warm muffin in front of her nose.

"Oh. My love." Isra didn't need any additional persuasion to wake up. She quickly grabbed the muffin away from him and stuffed it in her mouth, moaning in pleasure.

"I figured you didn't mean me." Mica commented grinning self-satisfactory as he slowly sat down on the bed next to her. Clearly he was feeling proud of himself in this very moment. "When you're finished… consuming your love, I have another batch right here. And a couple of other items that fall into the real, more healthy food category."

Isra opened her eyes slowly, still munching on her muffin. "Healthy food? Bah. Give me the sugar! Gimme, gimme, gimme…"

"Here. You big baby." Mica was laughing with amusement by this point, as he handed her another muffin.

Isra smiled through another mouthful. "I love you too."

"And glad I am to hear it. It hurts a man's ego, when he is outshined by the muffins."

"Your ego could stand a few blows."

"True."

"So to what do I owe this pleasure?" Isra slowly lifted herself up, grabbing another muffin.

"Oh you know. You've got assaulted, became the most famous person in the tower AND managed to snag a bodyguard. A very specific one." Mica paused just enough to take a bite from a muffin he managed to save for himself. "I was kind of hoping, I'd bribe you with good food to get you to talk."

"Oh. That." Isra let herself fall back on her bed. "Long story. I hope you've brought something to drink…" He produced a bottle of mead, before she could finish her sentence. "_Where_ do you get this stuff?"

"Some things are never meant to be known, young one. Best you come to terms with that fact."

"But. _How_ did you manage to sneak all this stuff in here?" Isra quickly took a sip from the produced bottle. He was truly spoiling her.

"You know. For a person living in robes all of her life, you lack any substantial knowledge of their many uses. It's rather sad."

Isra laughed as she got up, to bring over a pitcher of water. It was still too early in the day to be walking around drunk, especially if one was an apprentice. They weren't supposed to drink. So the water could serve as a useful diluter of the smell and the effects of the alcohol. Luckily the dormitory was relatively empty, with only a few apprentices hanging about the tables on the other side of the room, so their unorthodox behaviour went by pretty much unnoticed. "You've got that right. But I'm not really all that interested in what else you hide under there."

Now it was his turn to laugh as he accepted the water pitcher, pouring himself a glass. "Not in mine perhaps. But what about that Templar, eh?" He said with a cheeky grin, before taking a sip.

Isra had to perform a serious restraining mental exercise on herself to stop herself from turning her own glass of water over his head. "You…" She settled for growling as she sat down on her bed, throwing daggers through her eyes.

"Aw. That hit a nerve. You like him, don't you!?"

"Not another word. I'm warning you."

Mica laughed so hard, he nearly fell out of the bed he was sitting on. "Oh that's rich. Fine, fine I'll stop!" He immediately added as he noticed her reaching for the pitcher.

Isra let her arm fall down, trying to hide her blush by taking another sip from the mead.

"Oh. What's that?" Mica noticed the book Karl had given her. It fell down during all the commotion. "Entropy. For _dimwits_? At least you know how to pick up literature appropriate to your own level."

"Do you want me to try out a hex on you?" Isra said, sending him her best threatening look.

Mica lifted his arms in the air, fighting another fit of laughter. "Mercy, oh most intelligent and capable one."

"You really are suicidal today, aren't you?" Isra fought her own smile, hiding it, by taking another sip.

"What can I say? I like to live on the edge. What's that?" A small piece of parchment fell out on the floor as Mica opened the book. "_Silani can't help you. I can. Dimwit._"

"What?" Isra immediately jumped from her bed, trying to take the parchment from Mica, but he already snatched it from her reach.

"What is this? What about Silani? Who has written this message?"

"Good questions! I don't know. Gimme that!" Isra tried once more, but again he was too fast for her. She settled for seizing the book, opening it. "Wha…" The book had a false cover. She quickly unwrapped it, discovering a drawing of a huge cat standing victoriously over a Templar who looked suspiciously like her pursuer from the day before. A barely legible scribble was written underneath. "_Ser Ponuce-a-lot_._..?_"

Mica sat down next to her, yanking the book from her hands.

"Hey!" Isra was sick and tired of him taking things away from her. _Especially_ when the messages were clearly meant for her.

"_Ser Pounce-a-lot will prevail_. Where did you get this book?" He showed her the front page inside the book.

"_Entropy 101: A quick guide for nitwits to the world of crippling thy enemies. _Well the original title doesn't sound much different. Or better." Isra bitterly commented.

"No. Who is Karl?" He showed her the book again, this time pointing to the scrawl underneath the title on the inside of the book.

"Owned by Karl Mallory? Karl is my new instructor for the entropy spells. He gave me the book as part of my homework."

"Did he now?" Mica commented dryly, one eyebrow raised.

Isra knew there was no way of going around it now. Mica knew too much already and Karl clearly knew more about what was going on than he let on. Perhaps even Hayes was involved with this somehow or he was the one arranging the whole thing. With her new Templar bodyguards Isra had no way of continuing her investigation without attracting notice, so her only option now, was to seek outside help. As it turned out, she might not need to do the seeking out part as the help she needed seemed to found her first.

Before she could be certain however, she still needed to figure a few things out. Like for example if Karl was truly behind this message, if this message was real and not a trap of some sort and who in Maker's name drew that ridiculous looking cat standing over the Templar chasing her around the day before. But first, she needed to go over the events of the day before with Mica. Perhaps he can help her make sense of all that was going on. If nothing else, she needed someone else to know the truth, if only as a safeguard. If something happened to her, he would need to continue with the investigation. They were both too deep now to just let the events run their course.

Isra sighed reaching out for the bottle of mead. "Fine. I'll tell you everything."


	8. Chapter 8

Mica sat quietly for a while, clearly thinking over everything Isra just told him. The food ran out and she began to feel a little bit dizzy from all the alcohol.

"You know. The thing that bothers me the most is that Irving knew my name. Isn't that weird?"

Mica lifted up his head. "Is it?"

Isra was surprised at his matter-of-factness. "Yes?"

Mica shook his head, smiling slightly. "Irving probably knows everything about everyone. It's kind of his job. How else would he be able to twirl the Knight-Commander around his finger so effectively?"

She laughed in reply. "Good point. It's just…it feels strange, you know? That my _pirate_ alias is now used as my name. By the First-Enchanter nonetheless. "

"Naaah." Mica answered with a wide grin.

"Do you think he also call you Mica?"

"Yes. Remember that one time, when I had to go see him after I was caught sneaking about with…you know who."

Isra grinned gleefully as she nodded. Mica's first love and crush was a young Templar recruit. It was a scandalous affair, which luckily ended right before it ever really began, but it was a source of endless gossip for years to come and a well of limitless teasing material for Isra.

Mica's eyes narrowed in warning. Isra curbed down her gleefulness. There would be plenty of other opportunities to tease him about it.

"Yes well…It was then when I learned that Irving knew of my _pirate_ name, also. It was supposed to unhinge me. And it did." He blushed slightly at the memory, causing Isra to break down in laughter. He rarely blushed and she found a strange sense of satisfaction at seeing him do so.

Mica ignored her outburst. "However I'd take Mica over Alim any day."

Isra looked at her friend in surprise. "What, you're serious? No complains over Mica not sounding manly enough for you?"

He didn't seem as pleased at first when she chose the name for him. It was exactly why she insisted on calling him so. The more he complained, the greater pleasure it was for her to call him Mica. The reason she gave him female sounding name lay in the fact, that the first time she met him as a child she mistook him for a girl. And was not the only one to do so. Until puberty settled in and gave him little less delicate features, he had to constantly remind others that he was in fact a boy. The fact that he had long hair, he refused to cut until he was older and that he possessed an ethereal beauty some elves had, only straightened the impression of him being a girl. A girl, that was prettier than any real girl among apprentices.

Mica grinned widely as he answered her with a sly wink. "I _make_ it manly."

Isra fell back on the bed in another fit of laughter, with Mica joining her.

"What, I can't be willowy, an elf _and_ manly at the same time?"

Isra shook her head. "Of course one can be."

"_One_?" Mica feigned being insulted, but he couldn't conceal his own amusement at this point.

Isra wiped the tears from the laughter from her eyes, slowly nodding. "Yes one. And you know why, you pretty bastard."

He was still very beautiful, retaining his ethereal features, which gained him an almost occult following of worshipers. When he was near, nobody would ever notice her, which in her eyes worked perfectly with her desire to remain unnoticed.

Mica grinned widely. "In fact I find it strangely gratifying that almost everyone calls me by my pirate name. We always pretended to be two fearless rogues, sneaking about the Tower, on the hunt for evil Templars and endless booty… and look at where we are now. Living the dream! You're chasing down evil Templars, while I'm bringing in all the booty." He finished with a grand flourish, waving the now almost empty bottle of mead, before taking a sip.

Isra laughed at his antics. "Endless booty? Speak for yourself!"

Mica answered with a devilish grin offering her the bottle. "Not like you haven't profiteered from it."

"I did not!" Isra quickly interjected, causing him to fall back on the bed laughing loudly.

"I was referring to illegal contraband, you dirty woman!"

Isra snagged the bottle from him, taking another sip, trying to hide her own blushing. "Well…never mind, then." she finished with a sheepish grin.

Mica's laughter redoubled, causing her to giggle along at her own silliness.

"You know. When I was busy imagining the adventures of Isra, I somehow never realised that hunting for evil Templars could be that deadly." Isra commented quietly as they managed to calm down.

She heard Mica let out a deep sigh. He was still lying on the bed and clutching the bottle to herself. "Yeah, about that…" He took another breath, before he looked her directly in her eyes. "…I want you to stop with your investigation."

"What and give up the dream?"

"I'm serious. You've got Templars on your tail. Another one is standing just outside this door, ordered to follow you about. Carrying on with your investigation could indeed prove deadly in such circumstances."

"And what about Silani?"

Mica sighed. "As much as it pains me to say this; you can't help her now. Especially by sticking your nose where it doesn't belong and getting yourself killed in the process. They will not let you down so easily next time, if they find you snooping about. Tranquility, Aeonar, _death_…this is the last straw Isra. You've run out of bargaining chips. There is no next time."

She felt the gravity of his words, and she knew that he was probably right. But she just couldn't let it go. "I. Can't. Just. Do. Nothing."

Mica nodded in understanding. "I understand how you feel. But I don't want to lose another friend."

Isra scoffed, looking away. Patience was something that she didn't poses at this moment. She was sick of waiting. She needed an answer, or a solution that could bring her at least some closure and help her to reconcile with the loss of her friend. She knew it was not just about Silani anymore. Isra was furious about the way her pursuer made her feel. Her own vulnerability, the feeling of helplessness, the fact that just for a few moments her life was in another's hands. Thinking about it only fuelled her anger. She wowed, she'd never let herself be in another situation like that one. She refused to be helpless again.

"Isra." His voice snapped her out of her dark memories. "Let _me_ continue the investigation. While the Templar's attention is focused on you, I can try to continue where you left off. Besides, my Harrowing is awfully close. After I pass it, I'll have greater freedom and access to more resources that could allow me to conduct it far easier than you in the current situation."

"_After_ you pass it? What if you don't? What if they make you tranquil too?"

"They won't." Mica reassured her with his confident side smile. "And I will pass it. I'm not an easy prey."

"Mica I can't allow you to do this."

"You don't really have a choice in the matter. I'm not giving you the option. I'll take over, you'll stay put and play the meek, clueless apprentice until the Templars lose their interest in you. Also you really need to practice on your entropy and spirit spells, because quite frankly…you suck at them."

Isra smirked at his jab. "Ow. Anything else, oh the competent one?"

Mica's grin widened, causing him to look positively nefarious. "No touchy feely with _the_ Templar. It never ends well."

Isra blushed, throwing her pillow at him. "I'm not you, remember? I don't fall so easily."

"We'll see about that." Mica replied with an enigmatic smile.

**\- o . O . o -**

Days were dragging by for Isra as she waited for another practice with enchanter Hayes. She promised Mica to stop with her illicit activities, but that message she found in the book piqued her curiosity too much, to just forget about it. If nothing, she felt a little insulted at being called a dimwit.

In the meanwhile, to keep her mind off of her speculations Isra delved into her studies with new vigour and determination. Whenever she could find the time, she would practice performing the spells she had trouble with, focusing mostly on paralysis. It was a useful spell and also the least likely to end up in explosion if something went wrong.

Both Cullen and Raja were surprisingly more than willing to help, when they saw what she tried to do. They let her perform her spells under quiet observation, serving as safeguards in case anything went wrong, prepared to take away her magic at a moment's notice. Isra loathed the experience, but it was the only way she could practice her spells safely and without interference or notice by the other mages. Sure, the number of people who knew about her troubles with magic has broadened a bit, but so long as that knowledge remained contained within that number, Isra had no further qualms with it.

She was not the only one pleased with the arrangement. Raja seemed downright excited at the opportunity to practice her own talents on Isra, calling their practice lessons an opportunity for symbiotic development. Isra was a little less ecstatic about it.

On the other hand Cullen kept up with his stoic approach, still careful to never look her in the eyes or talk to her directly. Even so Isra felt bizarrely more relaxed and tense at the same time, whenever he was around, which caused her spells to behave erratically, forcing him to be the only one to regularly perform any kind of smiting. It was something which would no doubt amuse Mica to no end.

Regardless of his own reluctance, which was quite apparent, Cullen performed his duties diligently, running towards her every time the smiting caused her to lose her footing, catching her before she fell, like a hero in romantic novels she read over the years. It was an amusing sight and Isra couldn't help but smile at the thought a couple times, regardless of the pain. It confused him to no end, and amused her even more so for it, but she never said anything about it.

**\- o . O . o -**

A couple of days later, when the time for her practice with enchanter Hayes finally arrived, Isra felt restless and ready. She had thought about how to approach Karl about his little note and could not wait for the opportunity to do so.

Isra remained quiet throughout the practice, feeling excited about her own progress. She had managed to perform the spells she had been practicing, with relative ease and some form of successes, which clearly impressed her two tutors. Raja was grinning the whole time, clearly entertained by the surprised sounds both Mages made whenever Isra managed to perform a perfect casting of the spell which had given her so much trouble just a week before.

"Amazing." Hayes seemed flabbergasted at her progress. "How did you do that? Such progress in merely a week's time!"

"I had some help." Isra answered with a nod towards Raja, who smiled in return.

Karl looked confused. "Help? From the Templar? How?"

Isra sat down on the nearest chair, letting out a sigh of relief at the blessed little comfort it afforded to her. "My guards. They've been helping me with practice. Mostly watching, occasionally dispelling residue magic or draining my own, smiting. That kind of stuff. Very helpful."

"They _what_?!" Hayes seemed truly appalled at her answer.

"It's all right. I asked them to. It was all very consensual."

"It was. And we were careful." Raja quickly added, replying in a calm, professional manner.

"Isra." Hayes knelt down in front of her, barely acknowledging Raja's commentary. Concern was clear in his eyes. "If you needed additional practice you could have come to me. I'd find some way to help you."

"It's all right." Isra repeated. "It was a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Mutually beneficial arrangement? Do you realise what it could actually do to you if someone else were to find out about it? Their help could be misconstrued, some mages would take it as the Templar's new way of abusing mages, and on the other hand some Templars might think you've been trying to learn their tricks to gain resistance to them. Isra. This could be bad."

"If you don't tell anybody, then nobody will find out. You've seen my progress. It worked, didn't it? And if you deem my method to dangerous, I'll stop. We'll do it the old fashioned way, then. Even though it might take a lot more time and effort. It's not like I have the Harrowing to face sometime in the next two years. Plenty of time, right?" Isra didn't even try to curb down the bitterness that came through in her voice. If there was one thing that seriously grated her nerves it was the endless gossip permeating the Tower, creating trouble and conflict where there was literally no reason for one.

"Isra, you may not like it, but it is the reality we live in. Be careful." He stood up and moved away towards his desk. "You will perform the next few exercises as we've agreed upon. No more Templar help."

At this Karl cleared his throat, as he approached her. "I have … a few additional books, I'd like you to look over. They should help you around the last hurdle you have with the paralysis spell. However, I don't have them here, with me." He turned to Hayes, "Most of them are in the upper library, and a couple of them are not allowed to be taken from the library itself. However I do have a copy or two, which I could lend our young student here, but I don't have them with me. To be honest, I had not thought to bring them. I did not expect we'd see such progress so soon."

Enchanter Hayes nodded in reply. "Of course. Isra, go with Karl. He will give you the books. You know where to find me if you have any other questions or if you feel you need to clear anything up. I expect to see you next week."

Isra nodded once in acknowledgement.

"Is this going to be another book in the dimwit category?" She asked Karl dryly as they were leaving the classroom.

Karl smiled wryly looking back at her. "It might be."

"Oh joy." Isra commented sarcastically. "In that case I have an inquiry related to this particular book." She stopped and lifted the _Entropy 101: A quick guide for dimwits to the world of crippling thy enemies._ She had been carrying the book with her all day for this exact reason.

She opened it at a page, where she stuffed the small note she had discovered with Mica the week before and cleared her throat. "Could you please explain to me something on this particular page?" Isra pointed to the note. To any casual observer it looked like she was innocently asking him about a random passage in the book.

Karl stopped and looked down at the page in question. "Ah. Yes. I can see how this particular passage might confuse you. I'll explain it to you in detail once we arrive to our destination. I'm afraid this passage needs additional literature, to make sense of it. Poor penmanship, if I may say so."

Isra closed the book shut as they started walking down the hallway. "Indeed. I also had trouble understanding a passage at the beginning of the book involving a cat. I hadn't realised entropic spells and cats have much in common."

Karl smiled widely "They do not. However in a weird way they do. It's a complicated matter. Come. I'll explain everything."


	9. Chapter 9

Isra had never been inside the Mages quarters before. Karl's were housed on the same level as the Circle's chapel and he apparently shared them with two other mages. Each had his or her own private alcove, divided by walls and bookshelves. Seeing so many bookshelves set for their private use, made Isra feel excited about the prospect of becoming a mage. She could have her own private library one day.

"I imagine it's quite different from what you're used to."

Isra forced herself to stopped gawking and turn her attention back to Karl. "Quite."

He grinned in reply. "I remember the first time I stepped through that door. So much privacy and my own little room. It felt luxurious. I still share my quarters, but it's a vast improvement from the crowded dormitories bellow."

Isra nodded in reply agreeing with him wholeheartedly. She wondered if she could visit Mica after he would become a mage. Their age difference was never as jarring as it was at this very moment. It would be at least another year before she would face her Harrowing. Another year of sharing her sleeping quarters with fifty other, snoring individuals. There was no guarantee that her new room mates wouldn't snore, but she'd take two snoring individuals any day in place of the thirty or so avid ones.

"I'll wait here." Raja said quietly as she took her place at the door.

Isra nodded in acknowledgement.

"Come." Karl waved his hand as he started walking towards the last partition.

Isra scrambled as quickly as she could, carrying two very heavy new books, taken from the upper library. She sincerely hoped the last few books Karl had in mind weren't this big. It would be impossible to get through all of them in only a week's time.

Karl's quarters were small, but he did have an enormous bookshelf dividing them, offering a modicum of privacy. As Isra turned the corner, he already had an impressive stack of books prepared and was currently busy browsing through the bookshelf at the moment for what appeared to be more books.

"I seriously hope that stack of books is not for me."

"Don't worry. Those are for me. I'm performing a research into the different applications of a few hexes. Useful combinations, things like that. I won't bore you too much with the details." He replied with a reassuring smile as he approached her with a very small book in his hands. "No. _This_ one is for you."

Isra felt almost disappointed at its size. "What, so small?"

"I think you already have enough reading material for one week. Beside it's not the size that matters…"

"…it's its application." Isra nearly dropped the books in her lap as she heard Anders' voice finish Karl's sentence.

"Hello Karl." Anders finished with a suggestive grin, causing Isra's hair to stand up at the ends. "Isra."

She felt her heart stop for a few breaths as her stomach made a few back flips in her belly. He knew her name. _He_ knew her name. She felt positively giddy.

"Anders. Glad you could make it."

"It sounds like you were expected." Isra closed her mouth with an audible click, shocked at her own forwardness. She started blushing almost immediately as Anders' attention shifted towards her. Thinking was really not her strong suit at the moment and it seemed this fact provided the perfect opportunity for her mouth to go rogue on her.

"I said we'll talk later, didn't I?" Anders replied with a charming grin and a wink, causing her blush to intensify. Her neck and face were burning as if set on fire, and they weren't the only body parts currently heating up to a dangerous degree.

Isra had to force herself to calm down, she felt dangerously close to bursting out in a mad giggling spree. He was talking to her! Taking a deep breath, she managed to focus enough to trust her voice enough to speak. "I-I just didn't expect it to be now. Like this. Here." She cleared her throat nervously, stifling down another giggle. A part of her mind recognised the fact, that she wasn't the most articulate person in the room at this very moment and in a desire to save her from putting her foot where her mouth was, quickly supplied a suggestion to divert the attention from her mumblings. "I mean. What's going on?"

"Good question." Karl replied with a calm smile. Isra took a deep breath as she saw him turn his attention to Anders and away from her own clumsy self. "Our little friend here got our message Anders. She even discovered your … little scribble."

"What? You drew Ser Pounce-a-lot?" Isra cursed at her own inability to stay quiet. Every time she opened her mouth she risked of making an even greater fool out of herself.

"A masterpiece, wasn't it?" Anders said with a wide grin that made her insides melt just a little.

"Anders has the tendency to deface any book he finds too boring. Drawing that silly little cat everywhere."

"_Enhance_ Karl. Enhance a boring book with a masterpiece of the greatest mouser that ever lived." Anders corrected his friend with a pointed look.

Karl made a small "mphm" sound, clearly stating he was not impressed.

Isra observed their little teasing bout with interest; clearly there was some sort of chemistry between them. Feeling a little jealous, Isra managed to finally get her own thoughts back in some semblance of order, wanting to do the same with the situation she was in. "Fascinating. Now could either of you start to make sense please? Why did you two want me here?"

She couldn't afford to stay here all day, especially not with Raja standing guard outside. No matter how great she got along with her, Raja was still a Templar and her prolonged visit to the mage's private quarters could raise unwanted suspicion.

"Well, for a start, Anders saw the whole incident with the Templar a few weeks ago." Karl answered calmly.

"You saw?" Isra turned towards Anders in surprise. She didn't remember seeing him while she was running away from her pursuer.

Anders nodded, leaning on the bookshelf behind him. "I was in one of the studies that silly Templar opened to look for you. I found it suspicious enough to warrant a second look. I mean, a Templar in full armour randomly opening the door to Mages studies, ignoring any inquiries trying to be sneaky about at it… Templars don't sneak. They rattle. You can hear them coming from miles away. And I should know - I have some experience in the matter." He finished with a wry grin.

Isra knew he had meant his famous attempts at escaping the Tower. If anyone had enough experience with the Templars hunting them fairly regularly, it was him. The only thing that bothered her about it was the glaring fact that he wasn't as good at staying escaped. Anyone with half a brain would have learned at least something about staying away after their sixth or seventh escape. She wasn't all that sure which one was it already. Still she knew herself enough, to recognise that his obvious defiance in the face of adversity and relentless determination at attempting new escapes, were part of his allure for her.

"Anyway, as I opened the door to the hallway to see what was going on, I notice the Templar brandishing a sword about and chasing after someone." Anders continued more seriously. "Before I could make sense of what was going on, a fight erupted and the Templars started to bash each other over the head. No great loss if you ask me, but I noticed you, being caught somewhere in the middle of it. So there I was, trying to figure out whether I should interfere or not or try and help you in some way. I mean no offence, but I don't make it a habit of sticking my neck out needlessly."

Isra lifted an eyebrow in clear scepticism. He was not exactly the Templar's favourite as it was. Every single time he escaped, he was sticking his neck out.

He noticed her expression and grinned, clearly noticing the contradiction of his words and his actions. "In any case it turned out I didn't need to. The fight ended fairly quickly and I was commanded to heal a couple of the Templars – funny how they are always ready to accept my assistance whenever they are bleeding their guts out." He scoffed at the thought. "I noticed you were unconscious, and brought you back. I also noticed a particular Templar lying on the floor. Someone Karl's had a vested interest into. Figured the attack might be connected to something he had been investigating for quite some time."

"He came to me after that and told me about the incident." Karl added gently.

"I figured he could make some sense of the situation and find a way to help you."

Karl continued, ignoring the short interruption. "I asked around a bit to figure out more about you and the causes behind the attack on your person. What I found was… intriguing. It seemed that you were involved in your own little investigation. Asking questions about your friend, who was turned tranquil."

Isra sighed. She saw no reason to hide the facts that he already knew. The only thing that bothered her now was _how_ come he found out about it. She was very careful about the whole process of attaining any kind of helpful information, but apparently not careful enough. "I suspected something was off about it. Silani was too good of a mage to be turned tranquil."

It was clear her words picked his interest. "You suspected?"

Isra hesitated for a few moments. "Silani … wrote me a letter. In it she mentioned that she was abused by a group of Templars. And that that abuse was the reason behind her decision to undergo the rite."

"Ah" Karl nodded as if that explained everything. "I've been investing these kinds of activities for some time. Silani is not the only one, to whom something like that happened."

Anders approached her slowly, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, his eyes filled with compassion. "I'm sorry for your friend."

His touch surprised her, but it didn't set her afire as she had suspected it would. It was warm and comforting, but not in an earth-shattering kind of way. Isra nodded quickly, swallowing back her tears. "Anyway I just couldn't let them get away with it. I had to find out who did it." … so I could make them pay. She added the last few words in her mind.

"I understand." Karly nodded, a sympathetic smile on his lips. "I believe that we're investigating the same thing. And that is also the reason why I decided to approach you. The attack proved that you were onto something… or someone." He added with a meaningful smile. "And after I had heard about your particular … troubles with certain types of magic, which luckily fall under my area of expertise, I knew I had a way to approach you."

"You've _heard_?" Isra felt mortified. It seemed nothing she hoped to keep secret, was not really secret anymore. The prospect that her own inabilities could be common knowledge among the Circle's occupants made her more than slightly uncomfortable.

Karl smiled reassuringly. "It's not a common knowledge I assure you. I have my ways of getting certain information, if I choose to. Through my years of research, I had established a web of informants and I've also managed to build a reliable network through which to gain information in secret. It was a slow process but it's starting to pay off."

"Secret network, eh?" Isra almost felt envious. It also sounded more than a little ridiculous. Secret networks usually belonged into fanciful stories about spies and such, not in the reality of the Circle's Tower.

Karl smiled. "I know it sounds awfully mysterious and closer to something from a fictional tale, but it is real. And also necessary. We have to look after our own, and with all the real power in the hands of a few Templars and chantry Clerics, we mages have no other alternative, but to be creative about it."

Isra scoffed a little. "I'm guessing you're not alone in this endeavour. I hardly think Irving would let you run around behind his back with your little spy network in tow."

"You're right. He wouldn't." Karl offered her an enigmatic smile.

She barely prevented her jaw from dropping down. "The _First-Enchanter_ is involved with all this?"

Karl's smile widened a little; he was clearly enjoying the effects his revelation had on her composure. "How else would he be able to guide the policies of this Circle with such ease? We are one of the most liberal Circles in all of Thedas, Isra. It's not a coincidence that it is so."

Isra felt she reached her limits of what she could believe. "If our Circle is so liberal and the First-Enchanter is as powerful as you say he is, then how come you still need to perform this investigation? How come _we_ are still being _assaulted_?" She forced herself to close her mouth shut, in an attempt to prevent herself from raising her voice.

"I didn't say our system is perfect. We're working hard to maintain our freedom and improve upon it. But these things take time and patience."

"Akhem." Anders cleared his throat audibly sending a warning look towards Karl. "We don't have time for that lecture. We've wasted enough time as it is." He turned back to Isra; wry smile on his face. "Sorry about that. He tends to get… a little windy at this point. His favourite subject and all that."

Karl returned him an annoying look, rolling his eyes at Anders' choice of words, before bringing his attention back towards Isra. "Anyway, considering the fact that your information nearly got you killed, it seems to be worth something."

Isra couldn't help herself as she answered with a snide remark. She was hungry, tired and more than a little irritated at the fact that this clearly established _secret network_, hadn't managed to save Silani or prevent what had happened to her. "How come you don't know what it is already? Your message seemed to know enough about it, to warn me to avoid Silani. Stating that she is a dead end."

Karl's expression softened and he let out a tired sigh. "There are _at least_ two other elven apprentices that have had the same thing happen to them. And whenever they were asked questions to provide more information about the assailants, they kept quiet. It seems whoever assaulted them, has a way to keep them quiet, we just don't know what it. Yet. The problem, as I'm sure you're aware, is that the Tranquil do not feel fear, so they couldn't have been scared into silence."

"Elven? Do you think they target only elves?" Isra's ears prickled at the word. If that is so, perhaps Mica would have a greater success investigating that fact than her, after all.

Karl's grim expression offered a clear enough reply to the contrary. "No."

Isra noticed he seemed pained by that admission. He had probably lost someone that was close to him, the same as she did. "In any case we need to stop them. And we need to do so soon."

"We do. I'd appreciate any information you could offer me. If it was worth attacking an apprentice in the middle of the hallway for it, it is worth knowing."

Isra sighed tiredly, slumping her shoulders. "I don't really know anything. I was visiting Silani, because of that. I was at a dead end and she was my only chance." She looked Karl straight into his eyes. "I only have a list of names of potential perpetrators. And it is not short."

"A list? Do you have it with you?"

Isra nearly burst out laughing. "Of course not! I'm not that stupid."

"Can you give me the names then?"

"Like I said, it's not exactly short. It has the names of almost every Templar who patrols the area where Silani was assaulted. Why would anyone think this is reason enough to attack me, is beyond me."

"Well it has to be worth something." Anders commented, crossing his arms in front of him. "It probably contains the most likely suspect."

"Of course it probably does. But it's not like this information is not available to anyone who has the time to look for it. Silani could be our only choice. Perhaps she knows something and they are unable to control her as much as the others. Perhaps they are afraid she could reveal something, and that's why I was attacked. Have you considered that possibility? You only think she won't' tell you anything because the other tranquil didn't. Perhaps she is different. And don't forget. I was attacked right _after_ I approached her."

Karl scratched his beard slowly, clearly thinking about the same thing. "It's certainly something worth looking into. However it is currently impossible for us to reach Silani. The Templars have her locked away somewhere. At least for the time being."

"What?" Isra felt a small stab of worry manifest itself in the pit of her stomach. "Where? Is the Knight-Commander involved in this?"

"I highly doubt it. They are just trying to keep her safe. At least that's what the First Enchanter reassured me."

Isra didn't feel as reassured. "I swear if anything happens to her." Anger was slowly starting to replace worry.

"It won't. We'll do everything in our power to prevent that." Karl reassured her, looking at her directly. "I promise."

"She is a tranquil." Isra commented bitterly. "From my perspective, the damage is already done."

"You're angry. I can understand that. I need you to turn that anger into action. Can you help me? Help us?"

Isra sighed, not even bothering to hide her regret over her answer. "I can't. I've made a promise to a friend. The Templars are watching me day in, day out. I can't afford to be involved in this right in front of their noses. I don't have his talent for survival." She nodded towards Anders, offering him a wry grin.

"Oh, I believe you underestimate yourself." He reply with a grin, fit enough to make her knees feel week.

Isra cleared her throat, her gaze fixed on her feet to limit the oncoming blush, creeping on the side of her neck. "However." She looked up, back at Karl. "He – my friend, Mica – is more than willing to carry on with the investigation. So you can turn to him with any additional requests. As for me…" she offered him a slight smile. "I can offer you the names. I know them by heart and I wouldn't want to leave you empty handed. Especially after you've gone through all this trouble to get to me and get me here."

Karl smiled, his relief palpable in his expression. "Thank you."

**\- o . O . o -**

Reading Karl's books was tedious work this time around. The content was not nearly as interesting as the last time. She blew out her breath audibly. It was only a matter of time before she would start to monkey around and pinching herself in order to stay awake.

Cullen was standing a few paces away, looking as bored as she was. This part of the library was at the moment completely deserted, for which she felt she should be grateful. Finally she had some desperately needed peace and quiet so she could focus on her studies, but for unknown reason her mind was not cooperating with her. Her thoughts were racing from Silani, to Karl and the investigation, to the most ridiculous little things she could think off, like the light reflecting in Cullen's curls or trying to decide whether she liked chocolate or strawberry muffins better.

Fed up with sitting around, fighting a losing battle with the words in front of her and her sudden craving for anything containing absurd amounts of sugar, Isra stood up and moved towards the nearest bookshelf. There had to be a book interesting enough, to keep her attention and help her pass the time until lunch. It felt like ages had past, since she had read a good book that was not related to her studies and she desperately needed one to help her take a break from her own thoughts.

Isra sighed audibly as she skimmed the titles of the books in front of her. She forgot that this section of the library was devoted to books on plants and botany. No wonder this part of the library was so deserted compared to the rest.

"…really need sugar." She murmured to herself as she dragged herself towards a section containing more interesting literature. She was beginning to experience serious trouble with her cognitive functions, as the lack of sugar in her system became apparent.

Isra had trouble finding a book that would caught her interest. She had been staring at the bookshelf in front of her for what felt like an hour and was still nowhere close to a decision. She had read most of the books presented more than a couple of times already and was desperate for something new, something to engage her completely.

Isra was just about to head back to her quiet little corner and the books she actually had to read, when another caught her eye. It was a spin-off tale of one of the famous Nevarran Dragon Hunters. She hadn't read that book in a while and from what little she remembered of it, it had just the right amount of romance and action to be interesting enough. The only problem was that it was placed on a fairly high shelf and Isra felt too lazy to go and search for a ladder to help her reach it.

She sighed audibly in frustration, staring at the book she wanted, trying to will it to float down into her arms. It's a shame there wasn't a spell for that, Isra thought, or if it was, that she didn't knew it. Sighing again, she was just about to step on a lower shelf so she could extend her reach, when she felt a presence awfully close to her. Looking up she noticed an _armoured_ arm pick up the book from the shelf easily and place it in her hands.

Isra stood stupefied for a few moments, before the blushing started. "Th-thank you."

Cullen smiled shyly, offering her a quiet reply of "You're welcome."

He was so close she could feel his breath caressing her neck, making all of the little hairs stand up in attention.

"Ah! Isra, I believe?"

They both jumped at the sound of the strange voice, as if a lightning struck between them. Isra couldn't help but feel as if she was just caught doing something forbidden.

The voice belonged to a bald, older man, dressed in the Senior Enchanter's robes, causing Isra's heart to go through another shook.

The Senior Enchanter seemed oblivious to her reaction, offering her a warm, avuncular smile. "I've been looking for you for quite some time. I heard about that villainous Templar attack on your person from a few weeks ago and I wanted to see how you were holding up."

That was the last thing Isra expected to hear. "Er… good?" _Villainous attack? Who talks like that?_

"And this must be your _Templar_ bodyguard?" The Enchanter's voice dripped with acid, as he offered a haughty look, filled with obvious disdain to Cullen, standing behind her.

"Em…yes. Excuse me but, who are you?" Isra felt more than a little embarrassed at posing this question, but she desperately needed to bring at least some sense into the general confusion.

He seemed offended at the question, but he covered it up fairly quickly as a charming smile reasserted itself back on his lips. "My name is Uldred. Senior Enchanter Uldred, you might have heard off me?"

Isra nodded. She had heard of him. But mostly from what Senior Enchanter Wynne said about him and none of it was fairly good – she clearly disliked the man – his greatest sin being refusing to teach younger apprentices, but it also explained why Isra didn't recognised him.

Uldred continued unperturbed, radiating avuncular kindness "I only wanted you to know, that if you ever feel threatened by the Templars again, do not hesitate to come to me. I will do everything in my power to help you."

Isra was surprised at his kind offer, but also a little suspicious. "Thank you?" Senior Enchanters did not usually walk around, offering their help to random apprentices, at least not if it didn't involve copious amount of homework or some other type of 'helpful' advice. And that was especially true for Senior Enchanter Uldred. From what Isra knew of the man, he was too involved within the Circle's politics to care about anything or anyone else.

Uldred answered with his charming smile, bowing a little.

Isra stared at his retreating back, feeling even more confused as ever before. She wasn't sure what to think, or being able to think at all in this very moment for that matter. Clearly too much study was detrimental to her mental capabilities and she desperately needed some "sugar."

Cullen looked her in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing." Isra looked away, a sheepish smile on her face. She _really_ had not intended to say that out loud. Blushing, and wishing she could melt into the ground beneath her feet, to escape from further embarrassment, Isra slowly proceeded back to her little spot in the library to pick up Karl's books and return to her dormitory. She was done studying for today. Done.


	10. Chapter 10

"Finally. Enough with this pile of…dragon…droppings, shit of the last few weeks." Isra sighed as she put her legs up on the wall next to her. It was extremely late and she was lying on the floor of a narrow, dark corridor commonly used by the Tranquil as they went about their business, unnoticed. The tedium of constant study during the last few days was finally catching up with her, making her feel perpetually drained of all energy.

The only reason she was up and about this late at night, hiding in some dank, secret corridor, was due to the fact that it was her birthday. She would completely forget about it, if it weren't for Mica to remind her of that fact. According to him little celebration was necessary and quite beneficial to one's health and she was not about to dispute it, especially not after she felt so desperately in need of a short break to replenish her energies.

"Mmmm. This is so good!" Mica's voice floated towards her in the darkness.

"I know, right?" Raja's laugh floated back in response. "Want to try some, Isra?"

Isra grunted as she propped herself up enough so she could reach for the bottle Raja was offering her. The dim glow from a small wisp Mica conjured gave off just enough light so they could tell each other apart from the shadows surrounding them.

Raja was here as her duty dictated – she was not supposed to leave her charge unprotected or unguarded. Luckily she was friendly enough to allow this little gathering in Isra's honour and Isra liked her enough to invite her to join in the revelry. She was also one of the main reasons Isra decided to host her little party here, instead of the Cove. Isra liked Raja well enough, but she was still a Templar. The last thing Isra wanted was to reveal the knowledge or the existence of the Cove to any Templar, no matter how friendly or likable they were.

Another downside to this arrangement and the Templar's presence was the fact that she could not discuss anything even remotely related to Silani or her strange encounter with Uldred from a few days ago with Mica. But more importantly he could not procure any bottle of what could be considered illegal contraband, or in simplest terms – they were left without alcoholic beverages. Luckily Raja unknowingly resolved the issue as she provided with some sort of chocolate liquor as her own little gift for Isra.

Taking a sip, Isra had to concur with Mica. "This is very good." The liquor was sweet, chocolatey, with only a hint of alcohol, but still strong enough to warm her from the inside.

"Be careful, though. It's stronger than you'd think. Delicious, so it goes down easy, until it hits you and you wake up in the common room, without your small clothes and no recollection of the night before whatsoever."

Isra giggled at Raja's colourful warning. "Speaking from experience, I see? Or is this a common known side effect?"

"A little bit of both. I wasn't the only one to have this happen to." Raja replied with an amused laugh.

Mica cackled quietly, motioning to Isra for the bottle. "Oh? Is this a common type of occurrence in the Templars' quarters?"

"More common than you'd think." Raja replied with a wide grin, visible for a few short moments in the flicker of the light, causing Mica to nearly choke on the liquor and Isra to burst out laughing at his wide eyed look. She knew what went through his mind almost the moment Raja had said those words, because it had crossed her mind also.

"I can't imagine someone like Cullen being involved in that sort of … behaviour." Isra asked politely, trying to mask her own interest in the matter. She heard Mica's silent giggle in the darkness, casting a shadow of a doubt on the innocence of her inquiry. Lucky for her, the sound revealed his exact location, allowing her to kick him generously. Hearing a pained grunt, covered quickly by a feigned cough confirmed she managed to hit her target successfully.

Raja snorted in response, clearly oblivious to the little exchange between them. "Not likely. He's a real stickler for rules."

Isra wasn't really surprised at the answer, what surprised her was that she felt a little relieved, but at the same time disappointed with it. A part of her was hoping Cullen would be daring enough to indulge in breaking the rules now and then, while the other, more surprising, part of her was a little jealous at the thought that other women, Templars or even Raja, would have seen him in that state. Daring, relaxed, undressed. Isra felt herself blushing at the thought and thanked the Maker for the little bit of privacy the darkened corridor offered. The little bit of possessiveness over Cullen felt completely unexpected and it caught her off guard. He really wasn't that pretty after all, she tried to reason with her thoughts.

"You're lucky I'm on duty tonight. He would've never have allowed you to indulge this little celebration. Or procured this little birthday gift, for that matter." Raja continued, toasting with the bottle, before taking another sip herself.

Isra smiled to herself in response to Raja's commentary. Cullen wasn't such a stickler for rules after all. He caught her in the middle of the night sneaking about and he let her go. Now that she knew him a little better he didn't strike her as gullible enough to do that on faith alone. Perhaps she knew him a little better than Raja did, after all. Isra shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of Cullen. The alcohol was clearly starting to affect her feelings on the matter.

"And how is that _duty_ of yours treating you at the moment?" Mica commented, a sardonic note to his voice.

"At the moment?" Raja countered with a chuckle, taking a dip gulp from the bottle. "Just fine."

"I'll bet." Mica replied with a grin and a wink towards Isra, barely visible in the dim light. "We are an excellent company."

"We are, indeed." Isra grinned back, motioning for the bottle. So long as nobody uncovers our true rakish nature, she added to herself, gently caressing her new ring, hanging from Silani's necklace which was safely hidden under her robes.

Mica gave it to her earlier today as her birthday present. It looked innocent enough, a slight silver band, covered with interlacing pattern of vines, a small blue stone embedded among them, but it thrummed with magic, more potent than on any other similar ring she had encountered before. To remind her of the power of her own magic, he said when he gave it to her with an enigmatic smile. It certainly did, she thought as she touched it. Ice and lightning and resolve. It had to be one of those magic rings that also increased the wearer's willpower. There was also something else, offering her an insight as if a door of some kind was opened to everything around her, increasing her awareness. Probably it influenced the wearer's cunning also, Isra added in her mind. She knew it was a rare ring, extremely valuable or even custom made. Mica's smile hadn't revealed anything regarding its origin and Isra hadn't asked, had no desire to.

"That you are. You're probably the only mages in the history of the Circle having a Templar diligently performing her duty, while attending a little, secret and highly unapproved birthday celebration in your honour." Raja added with a wide smile. "Happy Birthday, little apprentice." She finished with a warm smile, offering the bottle to Isra.

Isra couldn't help but smile back as she accepted it, taking a sip. She had never heard a Templar call her an apprentice in a way that was not outright dismissive or insulting.

"Yes. Happy seventeen, Isra. Now you're one year closer to the grand finale of your apprenticeship. May it be fun and less eventful than the last year." Mica added with a slight smile.

"I have a feeling it will be the exact opposite, but thank you." Isra commented, a wry smile on her face. "Yey. Go me! I'm seventeen." She added, toasting to herself, to the general applause coming from both of her companions. Any year that she managed live through in one piece was a good year, as far as she was concerned.

For all that it was lacking, this little celebration felt perfect. She didn't know Raja that long, and if someone stepped up to her a couple of months ago and said to her that she would be getting wasted with a Templar for her Birthday, she'd probably proclaim them mad or completely insane.

A lot of things had happened, that she would never had imagined a few months ago, she thought to herself as she remembered Silani. Offering a quiet prayer to the Maker, to help her bring some justice to her friend and a peace of mind to her in the next year, she concluded her quiet musings with another generous sip.

**\- o . O . o –**

Isra felt Cullen's breath on her neck. The library seemed to disappear as his hands still lingered on the book about a famous Nevarran dragon hunter, barely touching her fingers, the touch still sending sparks of electricity down her spine as she accepted it into her own hands.

She swallowed heavily, standing completely still. She didn't want to interrupt the fragile connection between them. His breath on her skin, caressing her as he slowly lowered his lips towards her neck. Isra felt her breath hitch as he gently ran his lips over her neck, running them up towards her ear. The trace he left behind left her skin on fire, making her knees week and barely able to stand up. She closed her eyes, biting her lip in anticipation.

"Isra." His voice sent tiny little tremors cascading all over her body. "Isra." His hand gently grabbed her shoulder and started shaking her. Well that wasn't sexy at all, Isra thought. "Isra." His voice also sounded a little more agitated than it was expected, losing its silky, seductive quality. "Isra." That's it, he completely ruined the moment.

"What!?" she opened her eyes, her voice croaking with annoyance. Cullen's face was only a few inches away from her own, causing her to let out a startled yelp.

"Morning." He replied, a look of equal annoyance quickly crossing his features as he backed away.

Her dormitory, her bed. He was standing next to her bed in full armour. Isra almost catapulted herself from her bed at the realisation, barely stopping herself as another realisation struck home, with a massive headache in tow. She was in her bed, her hair untied and her thin nightshift the only thing covering her nakedness. Quickly throwing herself back on the bed, dragging the quilt over her head, Isra groaned as the sudden movement caused the world to take a few spins. "What are you doing here!?"

"Waking you up. I'll wait for you outside." He clearly deemed this insufficient explanation sufficient enough as it was quickly followed by a pair of heavy steps retreating from her present location.

Taking a deep breath Isra tried to focus the world back into perspective, stopping it from spinning. Slowly and gently, she peered out from under her covers, finding him truly gone. She let out a deep sigh of relief, which was quickly interrupted as a wave of nausea hit her in full force, causing her to stumble as quickly as she could out from her warm refuge in a desperate race towards the nearest cleaning bucket.

Nothing like a morning throw up session to shift one's personal priorities, pushing dignity and modesty at the very bottom of that list, Isra thought as she wiped her mouth, feeling like a little pile of lifeless misery. She slowly dragged herself up and headed towards the lavatories to get herself as clean and as ready for the day as possible in her current condition.

She was already running extremely late, by the time she emerged from the privy closet after her last throw up session. She had already sworn never to touch Raja's liquor ever again. From her current perspective it was sneaky and evil, its deliciousness successfully masking its true and vile nature. She sincerely hoped Raja and Mica were in the state similar to hers. It would be more than embarrassing and not a little hurtful to her pride, if she was the only one in such state, especially since she drank less than either of them.

"You!" Isra stopped in her tracks immediately, wincing at the loud noise and slowly turning towards the call. She grimaced, hoping that she didn't do anything untoward under the influence of her alcoholic buzz from last night. Her memory was still a little fuzzy and she had no recollection whatsoever as to how she got back to her dormitory or when. The only thing that was certain in her mind currently was the consistent presence of her hangover, accompanied by a deep sense of regret. She really shouldn't drink that much.

"Tell your Templar boyfriend to stay out of the dormitories, you hear me!" It was one of the prettier older girls Isra recognised as one of her co-habitants, her face screwed up in a righteous rage as she berated her.

Flinching with every word the girl said, Isra felt her wits leave for the greener pastures as the headache reinserted itself in full force. "What?" she croaked, desperately trying to will her headache out of existence.

"I said…"

"For the love of Andraste keep it down, the people at the top of the tower can hear your screeching."

"Isra!" She sighed, grateful for the interruption. She really wasn't feeling up to bickering in the state she was in.

She turned to see Jowan approach her, from the entrance of the dormitory, a surprisingly red-looking Cullen was standing in. Isra quickly turned away, before she could burst out laughing at his funny facial expression.

"Well. You look like… not really that good. Are you all right?"Jowan commented as he noticed her slightly ghoulish appearance.

"Nice save." Isra smiled slightly. "No, not really. And you? I haven't seen you in quite a while."

He dismissed the question with his hand. "Oh you know. I've been busy studying and stuff." He sniffed, scratching his head innocently. Busy attending to your secret lover, you mean, Isra commented to herself, glad to see her wits make a return. He always was a bad liar. "Anyway I just wanted to check up on you, seeing that you've missed the morning lesson with enchanter Hayes."

"Oh. You were there, were you?" she cautiously inquired, as she realised what day it was. Hayes will not be pleased about this.

Jowan nodded, offering her a lopsided grin. "Don't worry. He is not that angry. Just worried."

"That's not really that much better." Isra commented quietly. Hayes was like a father to her and she knew that after he realised nothing was wrong with her, besides suffering through a massive hangover, she was in for a long lecture on risky behaviour and shirking responsibility. Sadly, she had no choice of avoiding it, due to the fact that her practice with Karl was also later today. "He sent you to check up on me, did he?"

Jowan shook his head. "Well, no. Or I should say yes, but I was coming to see you anyway."

"Oh? Why?" They hadn't talked to each other in nearly over two months. She wasn't sure what could he possibly want with her.

"To wish you happy birthday of course." Jowan said with a smile, presenting her a small packaged gift.

"Oh. You remembered. Thank you." Accepting his gift, she felt more than a little guilty at not inviting him to her little soiree the night before and for completely forgetting about him in the last few weeks.

Jowan didn't seem to mind, his smile still there as he nodded in response. "You're my friend of course I remembered. Anyway your Templar bodyguard is looking quite cross out there, you should probably get going."

"Right. Thank you again Jowan. I really appreciate it." He nodded again and waved her goodbye as he left the dormitory. Opening the gift she found it was a small stuffed toy in the shape of a nug, causing her heart to melt. They had always joked about what kind of strange pets would they have one day, with him being obsessed with dragons and her having an equal obsession with nugs after she had read about them in the books.

"Wonderful." Isra sighed dejectedly. Nothing like a massive amount of guilt for being a shitty friend, coupled together with a massive hangover from the day before. She really needed to make up to him somehow.

**\- o . O . o -**

A couple of hours and gallons of water later, Isra found herself dragging along squinty eyed and barely able of coherent thought to her practice with enchanter Hayes, her grumpy looking bodyguard in tow.

Raja hadn't showed up yet to relieve Cullen of his duties and that fact gave her a perverse kind of pleasure. While she felt bad for Cullen, Raja's absence spoke volumes of the massive hangover she was probably nursing somewhere in her Templar's quarters, and that realisation served as a huge ego boost to Isra and her own capabilities of surviving the same affliction. The fact that Raja actually drank more than her, felt like a minor detail, unworthy of notice. The important thing at the moment was the fact that she felt like a winner of some sort of contest of endurance and that gave her a little more – albeit desperately needed - will to live through this next ordeal.

"Where is Karl?" Isra spent her day trying to come up with a sufficient excuse for not finishing up the books he gave her to study, and even though part of her breathed a sigh of relief at the fact of his absence, excusing her of lying to cover her own failings, another part found it worrying. He didn't say anything about not being able to attend their next practice.

"Ah! There you are. You missed the morning lesson. Are you alright?" Enchanter Hayes was coming towards her to greet her, an embodiment of compassion. It was a trap, clearly.

"I'm fine." Isra replied gruffly, his inquiry. She wasn't about to go into the details of last night with him and she desperately needed to take his attention off of her dishevelled appearance if she was to survive this lesson without a single lecture. "Where is Karl?"

He ignored her question and raised an eyebrow, offering her his best disapproving and unconvinced look, fit for inspiring guilt in the receiver of said look.

Isra sighed, but didn't capitulate. "I had a rough night. Studying. _Where_ is Karl?"

Hayes' next expression successfully conveyed his scepticism of her claim, but he didn't pursue the matter further. "I am sorry to say, but Karl will not be joining us anymore."

"What?" That news certainly served as a good sobriety cure. "But I have all this books he gave me." Isra placed the books in question on the table, with a little less care than she should, the resulting thump making her wince. She should probably find a mage who specialised in curing hangovers. Or at least learn the necessary spell herself.

"Have you read through them?"

Isra sighed yet again, there was no way she could have pretended or lied otherwise. Let the chips fall where they may, she thought philosophically, squaring her shoulders. "Of course not. Look at the size of these things. I've read this one though." Isra pointed out the small book, Karl gave her the week before.

After she gave up somewhere in the middle of one of the bigger books, Isra chose to turn to the smallest one, but as she quickly found out, its size was misleading. The book itself was written in the tiniest writ she had ever seen and was written in a terribly boring and lengthy style she had ever encountered. If there were no notes or casual remarks from Karl scribbled here and there around the corners, she would never have gotten through it, or understand the subject for that matter.

"But I don't really understand the half of it. I really hoped Karl would help me sort through all this wordy mess."

Hayes picked up the book in question, a wry smile showing on his face. "_Permutations of the entropic spells and their relevance to the Chantry doctrine according to enchanter Slavshek_. Well this is quite…a philosophic volume, from what I remember."

"_Volume_? You mean to say there is more?"

He nodded, wry smile still on his face. "Oh yes. I believe there are at least three more. According to enchanter Slavshek, there are a lot of ways those permutations could be relevant to the different religious and ritual practices around Thedas. Riveting stuff."

"Truly." She commented sarcastically, offering him her own version of a dark look.

Hayes' smile remained on his face, unperturbed. "Do you know why he gave you these books to read?"

"I have no idea." Isra sighed yet again, slumping her shoulders. "I had every intention of asking him the same very question today. Do you know where I could reach him, so I could pester him about it in person?"

His expression finally sobered. "I'm afraid not. However, I do know that we've wasted enough time talking. Let's see how your paralysis spell is working out, shall we…" Hayes added as he motioned to the stuffed dummy in the corner of the classroom, already prepared to take its daily punishment.

Isra sighed audibly. Her head was still inhabited by a pounding headache, and she was starting to feel a little queasy from the exertion of walking about. There was no way she could perform a single successful spell today and from the devious grin Hayes offered her, as he pointed to the dummy, it was more than apparent, he knew it too.

So this was her punishment, Isra thought. Instead of a lecture I get exertion, she thought dejectedly, sincerely hoping she could avoid throwing up during it.

**\- o . O . o -**

Isra could barely stand at the end of the lesson. There were only a couple of times she thought she might throw up, but she managed to survive them without incident.

Regardless, Hayes seemed pleased with himself, as he offered her a giant pitcher of water. "That would teach you, to get drunk the night before."

"You _knew_?" Isra was too tired to hide her own shock at his revelation.

"Oh you young, inexperienced little cub. I've done enough drinking in my days to know the symptoms of a hangover when I see one." He replied, his wry smile back in place. "I also know that drink and spells don't mix well together. And now, you know that too."

"You cruel, vicious, old geezer." Isra replied from above her glass of water, sending him a scalding look. "It was my _birthday_."

Hayes laughed loudly at her reply. "Good one puppy." He was not really that old, being somewhere in his late thirties and one of the youngest enchanters in the Circle, but to Isra's standards he seemed ancient. "However I do know that." He reached into the pocked of his robes and procured a small wrapped parcel from it, placing it in her lap. "Happy birthday, little one."

Isra stared at her gift in surprise, immediately forgiving him for the harsh lesion. Life was too short to hold grudges, and birthday gifts were too few and far between to hold grudges against people who gave them, she thought pragmatically. Placing down her glass, she quickly opened the parcel, exclaiming in surprise. It was the tiniest book she had ever seen, its cover filled with rich patterns, which changed colour as she turned it in her hands. Opening it, her breath hitched, as she was greeted by the sight of Silani's handwriting. It was a short birthday wish, signed by her friend and it nearly dissolved her into tears.

Trying to prevent herself from crying, Isra quickly shuffled through the rest of the little book, finding it mostly empty, with the exception of the first few pages, which were also covered in Silani's writing. She didn't dare to read them all, for fear of ending up in tears. She would read the whole thing once she was back in her dorm room. Closing the little book and holding it close to her chest, Isra turned towards Hayes. "Thank you."

He nodded gently in reply. "I had placed a few wards on the book itself, protecting it from anyone else. Meaning it can be opened only by you and nobody else. She also asked me to give you this. If I could manage" He leaned behind the desk, giving her a small package of sweets. Isra couldn't help but grin widely. Those were Orlesian spiced candy, extremely hard to come by, especially for a Circle mage. "Of course I _did_ manage." Hayes added with a self-pleased grin. "And this little thing is from me."

Isra exclaimed in joy, as she saw the new volume from her favourite book series _The Pirates of the Frozen seas_. She hugged him, forgiving him absolutely everything in advance. She'd never received so many precious gifts in her life. "_Thank you_." She whispered with heart felt sincerity, her nausea completely forgotten.

**\- o . O . o -**

By the time she returned from her lesion, she was almost glowing, even though her nausea was starting to return again, along with her headache. On Hayes' suggestion, she took Karl's books and now she was trudging them back, with a little help from Cullen, but she couldn't get rid of the bad feeling Karl's sudden decision to stop attending her practice left her with. She had spoken to him only a week ago. If he would have wanted to inform her that something has changed, he would have.

As soon as she relieved herself and Cullen of their burdens, she had reached a conclusion to look into the matter. Ironically her massive and persistent hangover offered her the perfect opportunity to visit Anders and see if he could cure it or knew of a spell which could lessen its deliberating effects, and while she was there, she could ask Karl himself on the reason behind his decision to stop helping her.

Reaching a decision, she turned and purposefully marched down the hallways toward Karl's quarters, a confused-looking Cullen in tow.


	11. Chapter 11

**A quick round of thank yous to** macramaegoldstar** and** Sherry205** for their kind comments - it's always nice to hear that I'm doing something right in making this story interesting enough for all my lovely readers - and followers - out there. ****Also a quick shout out to **SNicole25 **for chiming in from the start - you my dear lady are awesome and it's always fun to see what your reaction/comment will be.**

**And last but not least - welcome all my new followers! **

**I hope you enjoy my little scribbles down there and of course - a BIG thank you for deciding to join me on this journey through the whims of my imagination. Bon Voyage ;-)**

"Isra?" She heard his voice gently call out to her as soon as she passed him on the hallway. Her name sounded a lot more exotic and poetic when he spoke it. "Wouldn't you rather…lie down?"

Isra turned around to look at him. Cullen never asked questions or talked all that much for that matter. The longest conversation that he initiated had happened this morning, when he woke her up. "Hm?" She didn't trust her own voice around him. For some unknown reason, she stuttered almost as much as she did with Anders. And then there were those dreams…It definitely made for an awkward circumstance, feeling as if she had already known him a lot more intimately, causing her to teeter on the brink of another blushing fit. Now that the alcoholic haze has warned off a bit, she felt more than a little embarrassed at their morning exchange and her dreams. A part of her felt more than a little dirty, for using him in her dreams so unbeknownst to him.

Cullen looked mildly embarrassed, rubbing his neck with one hand and desperately trying to avoid her gaze. "I-I mean. You…um. You look a little…sickly today. I mean you're still beautiful, but…" his face suddenly went through a myriad of transformations, ranging from outright panic, to a look of agonizing constipation. He cleared his throat quickly. "I mean you look fine. But a little…under the weather." At this point he was staring at his shoes with fierce determination. "Wouldn't itbebetterif… you laid down? Recuperate. I mean." He cleared his throat again, shifting his gaze towards a spot somewhere above her head.

Isra registered only one part of his speech that caused her blush to fire up immediately reflecting the warmth spreading through her veins all over her body. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"What?" He looked like a hare facing its predator. "N-no. I mean. Not today. No. You do…I-I have to go." A sudden look of relief crossed his features at that revelation and he marched down past her with determination, barely short of running.

Observing his retreat with open fascination Isra noticed Raja coming towards her, giving Cullen a short apologetic nod, which turned into confused gaping as she apparently noticed the expression on his face.

"What's his deal?"

Isra waved the question a way, uttering a few noncommittal sounds. _Saved in the nick of time_. Internally she cursed Raja's arrival for interrupting that little conversation, but she managed to hide it fairly well. At least she hoped so. "Nice to see you're still alive. How are you holding up?"

She noted that Raja looked fairly normal, dark circles under her eyes the only sign of her less than restful night. "Yeah… about that. I think I may need to apologise to the Runaway there." She commented quietly, nodding in the direction in which Cullen disappeared, looking apologetic. "I kinda…overslept a bit."

"A bit?" Isra gave a short laugh. "That's an understatement."

"Well it was a rough night, as I'm sure you are aware." She replied with a crooked grin. "But you're changing the subject. What did you do to him?"

"_Do_? Me? Why would I do anything to him? Besides, what could I do anyway? He was just…feeling …a bit tired. You know, because you left him alone in his duty and stuff. Protecting me is a stressful job...or…so I hear."

"Uh-huh." Raja seemed unconvinced. "Extremely. Fine I'll just ask him. Or I'll wait until I get you drunk again."

"That has to be illegal. Doesn't your Templar…code...or whatever have a passage along the lines of _thou shall not imbibe innocent mages with copious amount of alcohol_?"

"No." Raja answered with an ominous grin.

"Well not yet anyway." Isra replied sending her a dark look. "I'll have to talk to the Knight-Commander about remedying that situation."

Raja snorted loudly in reply. "Well good luck with that. In the meantime…where are we going?"

"I have … a few books to pick up." Isra quickly added, deciding against revealing her true intention.

"What, more? I thought you've already had a sizable collection of those."

Isra grinned widely. "Yes. More. I need a big enough stack to hide behind from you wicked Templars trying to get me drunk."

"Oh in that case you don't really need more. One of those monstrosities you've been hauling around lately is more than enough of a deterrent for me."

"Good to know." Isra made her best effort to offer her Templar guard the most nefarious smile she could manage. "Let's go then."

Raja sighed, rolling her eyes. "Let's. But I'm not helping you haul them about."

Isra offered her a sweet, and innocent smile before she started walking down the hallway. She was not really worried about the prospect of carrying books around, considering the fact that she made that task up. She was more worried about the prospect of approaching Anders with her request regarding her hangover if Karl wasn't there, or was unwilling to offer her any explanation into why he had decided to opt out of helping her.

-** o . O . o -**

To her grave disappointment, Karl indeed was not there when she arrived. None of his things were in fact. Puzzled, Isra sighed dejectedly deciding to go and look for Anders. Apparently there was no other way around it.

She didn't have to look very long he was sitting behind his desk in his own little room, arms crossed and eyes closed, brow furrowed in deep concentration.

"A -Anders?" Here we go, she thought to herself. The stutter had already made its appearance. Clearing her throat, she forced herself to take a step forward.

He offered her a tired smile as he slowly opened his eyes. "Isra."

Isra felt a tingle down her spine at the sound of her name. His voice made it sound magical. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I kind of need you right now."

"Oh?" His smile transformed into an amused grin that by all standards could be considered cheeky. "You _need_ me?"

Even though it sounded less magical, this word had a greater impact on her that the last one, causing her face to erupt in flames as it turned bright red immediately. Isra cleared her throat again, cursing her telling blush for the thousandth time."Er…yes. But not like that. I-I'm feeling a little…sick."

"Oh? What is wrong?" His manner turned professional almost immediately as he crossed the room.

Isra offered him a sheepish smile. Him coming closer definitely had worsened her state, having the good old effect of making her feel as if she was going to burst into flames right there on the spot. "Er… a headache. And...some… queasiness."

"Well, you do look a bit off." He commented quietly as he observed her with interest. "But you don't really look that ill."

"Thank you." Isra decided to pretend it was a compliment. "I'm not really ill, just sick…in a hangover-y way…"she almost whispered the last one, her shade of red deepening with embarrassment.

"In _a_ what way?" He seemed torn between incredulity and amusement.

"Do I really need to say it again?" Isra felt her nausea return with vengeance. She blamed the stress of speaking to him, the cheeky little gorgeous bastard. "C-can…can you help me? Or at least find me a bucket, before I decorate your floor with my lunch."

Anders bit his lip, suppressing his own amusement as he gently touched her forehead. She felt his magic flow over her, making her feel all tingly in its wake, erasing all traces of nausea or headache. Instead a new feeling asserted itself in her belly and that one felt a little too filled with a strange arousing excitement that plagued her in her dreams lately. "There. Better?"

Isra nodded slowly in reply. "…you could say that." She wasn't sure that arousal was preferable to nausea in this very moment.

"Is something bothering you still?"

Isra shook her head vehemently. "No. N-nothing. I'm fine. Completely fine." There was no way she'd ever reveal the type of her current ailment to him, knowing that it was caused by a sickness, more common known as a crush-on-the-healer.

"Good. Anything else?"

"Er…yes… do you know of Karl's whereabouts?"

Anders sighed, an uncharacteristic sense of gloom starting to permeate around him. "He's…he _was_ …sent away I'm afraid. Apparently the Circle in Kirkwall is in great need of his … talents."

"What? Why?" Isra was surprised to say the least. "But he didn't say he was leaving. I still have his books! When is he coming back?"

Anders smiled bitterly, stoically accepting her onslaught of questions. "I can't tell you that, because I don't really know. I doubt he will ever come back, though. It sounded like a rather…permanent arrangement."

"But… Most of his stuff is still here." She noticed that his books were left untouched, lining up the bookcases surrounding his bed, when she went to look for him.

He nodded slowly. "They are."

"So…why? Why would they send him away? Why now? I doubt is as simple as the – _oh we need his talents, pluck him out of there and send him over here, will you_?" Isra finished in her best imitation of what she imagined the First Enchanter of Kirkwal sounded like. To be fair, she based most of her impression on Irving, considering the fact that she had never met that First Enchanter or even knew if he was a he or a she, for that matter.

Anders laughed, shaking his head. "It rarely is that simple. Especially when the Templars are involved."

"Templars?" Isra felt a cold shiver run down her spine, erasing the feel of warmth from a few moments ago. "Do you think it has anything to do with the…you know…the thing we talked about last time?"

"I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of that completely."

"You know something?"

He offered her a wry grin, clearly stating that he did. "I thought you said you don't want to get involved in all of this anymore."

Isra replied with a pointed look. "I have no intention in ferreting out the information or continuing with the investigation myself that is true. However, that doesn't mean I plan to keep myself in the dark. If you already know something, let me know. Please."

Anders smiled slightly. "Not here. Not now."

"Then where and when?"

His eyes flickered to something behind her, before quickly shifting back. "If you want his books, you can keep them. He said you can select anything from the pile next to his table." He motioned toward Karl's little partition, leaving Isra feeling flabbergasted at this abrupt change of subject, until she turned and saw Raja coming towards her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. I've been called away – orders." The Templar said quietly with an apologetic smile when she got close enough to be heard. "I came to escort you back to your dormitory."

Isra sighed tiredly. Of course there had to be an interruption at the most inconvenient moment. "Sure." she replied, unenthusiastically. It appeared her earlier excuse about needing to pick up some books was of prophetic nature. "I have a few books to carry back. Can you help me?"

Raja sent her a dark glare as she squeezed her reply through her teeth. "Sure."

"Right." She decided to take all the books Karl has left her. There could be some useful information among them at least.

**\- o . O . o -**

When Isra finally arrived back to her Dormitory, weighted down by her burden and a disgruntled Raja, trudging her own hefty amount of Karl's books in tow and complaining the whole way, she found her bed occupied by a prone, snoring figure of Mica.

Raja sent her a surprised look from under her own pile of books, one eyebrow raised in clear disapproval. "What's this then?" she commented quietly as she gently laid down her burden on the growing stack at the foot of Isra's bed.

"You'll note that he is _on_ my bed, not _in_ it." Isra replied pointedly, before the Templar could get the wrong idea. She let go of her books with a little less care as Raja did before her, causing them to hit the bottom stack with enough noise to wake up her sleeping guest with a start.

"Wuzat?!"

"Good Morning. Don't you have your own bed to sleep in?"

Mica slowly rubbed his eyes in an attempt to wake himself up. "I do?"

"I'm off." Raja commented quietly with a shake of her head, a disapproving look seemingly stuck to her face permanently.

Isra nodded. "Right. See you later then. And thank you for helping me with the books."

Raja grunted something under her breath, before replying. "Never again. I'm your guard, not your mule."

"I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Please do." She added with a wave in goodbye as she left, still muttering something about mages and their fetishes for big books loud enough for Isra to hear the gist of it.

Smiling Isra shake her head in amusement and turned her attention back to Mica. "So what's the reason behind this invasion of my mattress?"

"Oh you make it sound positively dirty."

Isra smiled slightly in reply, noticing he seemed unusually haggard. "I try. You look awful by the way."

Mica offered her a tired smile. "Thank you. I _feel_ awful." He stifled back a yawn and slowly stood up. "I haven't managed to get any sleep yet. Unless you count this…" he motioned towards her bed.

"And what has been keeping you up all this time?"

He sighed deeply, stretching his back as if he were an old man. The effect would be comical, if not for his sombre mood. "I have news."

Isra's ears prickled at this. "Oh? What kind of news?"

"The kind involving our tin friends." He picked up one of Karl's books from the stack Isra and Raja had just created and started moving towards the small tables that lined one end of the dormitory, indicating fto her to follow him. "I don't suppose you have anything that could help me stay awake a bit longer, do you? Considering the fact that you look suspiciously well, even though you drank nearly as much as I did…"

"You should have seen me an hour ago." Isra said with a wry smile. "Anders." She added after she had seen his sceptical expression.

"Oh? Last time I heard, you were unable to talk to him in full sentences without stuttering, blushing or running away."

"Oh, Ha. Ha. I'll have you know…I got a bit better at it…I didn't run away at least." She added quietly, causing him to chuckle.

"I'm almost impressed."

They reached a table that was the furthest away from the rest and in a fairly isolated spot.

Mica plopped down on the nearest chair with a deep sigh. "Let's get this over with, before I fall asleep on this table."

"Would you at least like some water?" He looked downright terrible.

"No. I'll survive." He opened the book in front of them, apparently intending to use it as a cover in an attempt to at least give off an appearance of studying. "Right. After I returned from our late night outing made of bad decisions – remind me to never touch that sweet, chocolatey thing ever again. I mean it." He grimaced at the memory, clearly feeling as sick as she was a couple of hours ago. "Never again. So… after…well I was on my way back and I heard a scuffle. Drunk as I was, it was a miracle I could still stand or sneak about or think clearly for that matter…" He shook his head at the memory. "Anyway I immediately hid behind the nearest statue and it turned out it was just in time, because lo-and behold three Templars came blundering down the hallway, right past me. Now let me just say that this trio looked quite sinister. You don't usually see them prancing about in that number in the middle of the night all…sneaky and stuff."

"No. You usually don't." Isra commented quietly, remembering her first meeting with Cullen.

"So. There I was. There they were. As soon as they were past me and far away for me to risk sticking my neck out from my cover, I suddenly noticed a mage, shuffling not too far behind them. Just like that. In the middle of the night and in the middle of the hallway, all relaxed and stuff. Like everything was normal."

"Did you recognise him?"

"It was a her. And no. I didn't. But her robe was an enchanter's robe. And she appeared to be quite tall. It was too dark to really make out anything else." Mica sighed, rubbing his forehead in concentration. "And she had her hood on, so I couldn't see anything."

"So you see this Enchanter, and she was following the Templars? She could have been just walking along." Enchanters and Senior Enchanters were one of the few denizens of the Tower that could walk about its premises in the middle of the night. It was still a highly rare occurrence from what Isra had heard or seen when sneaking about at night, but it was known to happen.

"Not following them as in following…them. You know? Not sneaking behind them or anything. More like…walking behind them."

"You're awfully eloquent today." Isra commented with a wry smile, earning a narrow look of annoyance from him.

"I'd like to see you talk so…eloquently after being awake since yesterday morning _and_ hungover."

Isra smiled slightly. She knew he was right. If the places were reversed, she'd probably be speaking in monosyllables by now and not because of being hungover, but because of the lack of sleep. She needed copious amount of it to function properly. "Sorry. Do go on."

"Right. So after she moves past me I get out of my cover and head down the hallway in the opposite direction. I was drunk and I really wasn't in any condition to follow them about to see what they were up to." Mica added with an apologetic shrug. "All in all, I kind of regret it now. Anyway, I go down this hallway and a couple of moments later I come upon a small elven girl, sitting by the side of the hallway, looking all dazed and dishevelled and completely unresponsive, eyes open wide and staring somewhere in front of her."

Isra felt her skin prickle at this. "Oh no. No."

Mica sighed heavily. "She didn't seem to be hurt and thankfully I sobered up a bit by that time, so I managed to rouse up enough to get her up and help her get back to her dormitory. She didn't say much, except to thank me in the end, but by that time I already knew who she was. I recognised her as one of the girls Katara used to hang out with."

Isra nodded quickly. Katara came from the same alienage as Silani. They were related in some way or another, but for some reason Silani never liked to talk about it. "Right. So did you manage to get anything else out of the girl? About what had happened?"

Mica frowned, slowly shaking his head. "No." he replied quietly. "I'll try that later. I didn't want to bother her about it so soon after…it happened." He rubbed his eyes again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I couldn't really sleep after that. So…I decided to go to the Cove. Clear my head and all. I needed to think. And while I was there…" He pulled out a small piece of paper, crumpled into a small ball. "…I found this."As he unwrapped it gently a pendant fell out that made Isra's skin crawl. A sword of mercy. Templars received these after they passed their vigil and were initiated into the order.

Mica slowly turned it around. There was a small inscription on the back.

"_Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just_." Isra read quietly. It was the last verse from the Canticle of Benedictions. Under it was a smaller inscription, containing what appeared to be the date this particular Templar has completed his test and a name. "_Whitaker_." She looked up at her friend only to see him staring back at the cross, with a certain amount of distaste. "Do you recognise this name?"

Mica shook his head. "No. But I recognise this." He showed her the unfolded piece of paper he was still clutching in his hand this whole time. A small "_S_" was scrawled on the inside in handwriting that Isra could have recognised absolutely anywhere, making her hairs prickle on the back of her neck. It was Silani's.


	12. Chapter 12

Seeing that "S" Isra immediately remembered the little book Silani gave her for her birthday. As soon as Mica left, determined to find out more about the elven girl he saw the night before, Isra went to the chest where she'd hidden it.

She held the little book in her hands for a while, turning it around and admiring the pattern on its cover. It truly was beautiful. For a brief moment she wondered where Silani managed to get it, but she dismissed that inquiry quickly. There were more important things to wonder about. She hoped Silani left her some clues that could prove that it was indeed her, who left the secret message.

She opened the book where she left of, a slight anticipation building inside her.

_You'll probably notice that this book is quite pretty, and yes it was expensive, and no I'm not telling you where or how I managed to get my little paws upon it. _

Yeah, no shit, Isra though.

_I'm channelling my inner Mica right now - I have my ways - and all that nonsense, remember? It's probably his favourite sentence by now. The pretty little prick thinks he is so clever about it. Well, he is. But it's very annoying._

_Maker I wish I could gloat about it. I doubt I'll ever get the opportunity though, unless tranquil gloat. If not, I'll probably be the first one. Be sure to write it down if it happens, or something. I want that to go down in history – Silani, the first gloating tranquil. Anyway….the important thing here is that you've got the book and it's extremely pretty. I hope you like it. And after I'm done rambling and scribbling down all this nonsense in it, you can take up the mantle and use it as your diary or whatever else, just don't let it stay empty! (That's kind of an order, if you haven't noticed…understand?)_

_Before I start I have to inform you that I have absolutely no plans to go into detail regarding my decision. What's done is done. _

_To be honest, I wasn't even sure I'd write anything else in here besides the short – happy birthday and all that. But then…I came back from our own little celebration (yes, I'm writing this on my birthday. I just managed to get back – well Mica helped with that – and I'm still more than a little drunk, so you better appreciate the fact that I love you enough, to do this! …and try to forgive the fact that most of this will probably be just ramblings of a drunken woman, and probably not all that coherent…it's the thought that counts, right?...) and those little sweets and bits of delicious food you manage to smuggle in tonight for me, made me feel all mushy and warm inside, and I wanted to add a few things…perhaps a few recommendations or guidelines you could say, that could help you navigate the Circle's life better than I did. If you haven't noticed yet – I kinda screwed up. But don't feel sorry for me…it was mostly my fault. _

_So first of all: __Don't fall in love__. You're probably too smart to do it anyway, but I feel I have to write it down. Especially in case that thing with Anders turns out to be more than a little crush. However if (and I mean IF) a miracle happens and you do manage to somehow end up with him, you better brake it off immediately. He is the last mage you'd want to fall in love with – too popular with the Templars, and not in a good way, if you get my meaning, so do me a favour and STAY THE FUCK AWAY, get it? Good._

_And in case it needs to be said – don't fall in love with a Templar. I have a theory that the main reason a couple of them look that kind of drop-dead gorgeous is because of a Chantry ploy to lure innocent mages to their doom. And yeah I know that, a Templar is probably doomed also in that case, but honestly, the Chantry really doesn't care all that much about them. That institution is all kinds of fucked up. They are creating and using addicts to guard us, while they are busy doing their fear mongering about our abilities. Charming, aren't they? _

_So rule number two, or I guess three. No, two (I'm afraid I'm quite drunk. Hard to concentrate right now…). __Don't overdose on sugary stuff and no late night snacks__. Trust me, this advice has nothing to do with health or beauty, only pragmatism. If you don't follow this rule, you'll get fat and if you're fat it's hard to sneak about or run from the Templars or squeeze into the Cove for that matter. So I guess this rule should be called, a __don't get fat and stay in shape__ rule. _

_And while I'm at it – do try to keep your boob size at a minimum. Seriously, I've seen you try to squeeze into the Cove a couple of times and those boobs are not your friend. _

_Anyway, rule number three. __Keep away from Katara__. And don't trust her. She is a bloodmage. I accidentally walked onto one of their "secret" meetings once (that blockheads think they are so clever, using the storerooms for their "sessions" or whatever they called them) and I saw her dance around with a knife and cutting herself, that stupid goose. So in case you've haven't heard or known about this before - there are bloodmages in our Tower. _

_I'm still debating whether I should inform Irving about that little session, but I doubt I'm prepared to take on that shit-storm. Maker knows I've enough to keep me awake at night as it is. Besides I've hear another girl mention something about Uldred on that meeting, and considering the fact that he is a Senior Enchanter here, Irving probably already knows or at least suspects something. But it's all just my speculation. I got away as quickly as I could after I discovered what they were doing (the boneheads were summoning a demon, if you can believe it. In the middle of a Templar infested Tower! Suicidal twits…) so I didn't catch whether Uldred was involved in all that, or whether he was onto them, and they were afraid he'll stop them. And considering the fact, that I don't know enough about it, I probably won't say anything. I've other things to worry about right now._

_As for you - be careful, there appears to be a lot more fools around here, than we had previously suspected. _

_On to rule number four then. __Don't make deals with demons__. I'm not really speaking from experience here, but writing about those bloodmages made me aware of that possibility. You are rather quick to anger, and anger has been known to make people do stupid things. I guess what I'm trying to say is, have at it, find an outlet, just don't ever, EVER make deals with those nasty creatures. I don't want you to end up as an abomination. So I guess I have to write that down here, because I realise there is a possibility that you'll be really angry after you found out about me, that stuff that happened to me, my decision…so don't do anything stupid. _

_Don't put your life on the line and for the love of Andraste, don't go on some kind of vendetta, taking names and hunting down those responsible. They will get what is coming to them, I'm sure of it. _

_Rule number five. __You can trust Hadley__. I've nothing else to add here, you'll just have to believe me. So if you ever are in danger or are worried about something to do with the Templars (if one of them is threatening you, or doing other stupid stuff) go to him. He'll help. _

_The same goes for Enchanter Elleina. I know you're really close to enchanter Hayes and he is likable enough – considering the fact that he helped me arrange this whole thing with your birthday present, he is bloody amazing, but don't tell him that. He's got a bit of an ego, if you haven't noticed and it really doesn't need to be fed – however, you need a…female person in your life. Trust me. With me gone, you'll be surrounded by boys, some of them barely able to think straight and you can count on her to help with whatever you need. Especially regarding…well, the more…feminine stuff. Girl problems. You know. Those things… (I'm guessing Hayes and Mica are a little out of their element in that regard). _

_Rule number …six? I guess I'm just full of wisdom I want to share right now, am I? _

_Stay unnoticeable, if you can__. But you already know everything else regarding that rule, so I won't repeat myself about how attracting notice is bad, and how it can have nasty consequences- the least of them having a creepy Templar stare at your boobs. _

_While I'm at it…watch out around that young, curly Templar Ser Ruthferd, Ruthford something… he's been staring at your boobs a lot lately. And not only boobs, but your ass also. Actually he's been staring at all of you, looking all googly-eyed and whatnot, so, do try to avoid him. I think he's nursing a serious case of … how to put it delicately… tightening in his nether regions every time he's around you. _

_In any case that one could spell trouble, so stay away from him and do try to be a bit more rigorous in … keeping a low profile. Try to be as unattractive as you can be, all right? Trust me on this. You don't want THAT kind of mess. Remember the first rule? _

_And just in case it needs to be said, don't develop a crush on that one. To my great horror he is not nearly as ugly as I would wish him to be and I also know you've got a thing for blonds, so stay as far away as you can. _

_If you have to develop a crush try that Finn guy. He's …pretty much harmless… _

_You know what? Forget about that one. Don't develop a crush. Ever._

_Anyway, that's it. Perhaps I'll remember something to add later, but right now I'm almost sober and too sleepy to stay awake any longer, so I'll conclude with my rules for now. Be a good friend and follow them, will you? I'd hate to have anything happen to you, while I'm not able to be there for you. _

_PS: Take care of Mica. To be honest his "secret" little smuggling thing could mean trouble. If nothing else, remind him to be as discreet as possible. And keep him away from the pretty Templars. Most of the rules are applicable to him also (__especially__ the first one). Make sure, he is aware of that. _

Isra laid down the little book, a slight smile on her face. Silani signed herself at the end with an "S" identical to the one on the small piece of paper in which the pendant was wrapped in when Mica found it. The message _was_ from Silani then. The only thing that remained to be discovered was the identity of the Templar to whom the pendant belonged to, and what exactly was Silani trying to let them know by leaving it in the Cove for them to find it.

**\- o . O . o -**

Isra woke up next morning with a feeling of a renewed purpose. She needed to find the owner of that pendant, but where should she start her search? And who should she ask about it?

The easiest way would probably be to ask a Templar and there was only one Templar she trusted enough to do that and it was Cullen. The only problem with that was the fact that her judgement was more than a little compromised when it came to him. It was starting to become clear to her, that she felt something for him, and as much as she hated to admit it, those feelings could be clouding her judgment.

_Sorry Sili_, she added quietly in her mind, thinking about the set of guidelines her friend has set for her. It appears she already had developed a crush and now she needed to do was to prevent it from growing into a deeper kind of infatuation. She needn't be told that falling in love with a Templar was stupid. Mica had demonstrated that, quite helpfully a few years before and she was definitely not prepared, nor willing to follow in his footsteps.

Another possible avenue where she could get some answers was Hadley. Silani trusted him – or so it would seem – which meant that there was also a possibility he knew a lot more than he let on the last time she talked to him. It was something she would definitely need to look into, regardless. He was after all probably her best bet if she ever wanted to speak to Silani again, considering the fact that the Templars were "protecting" her during the duration of their investigation and he very likely knew where she was.

Speaking to her tranquil friend, would certainly be the easiest way to discover the meaning behind the pendant…

Asking Anders could also be another possibility. By now, he was probably familiar with a great majority of the Templars in the Tower, and could know at least something about this mysterious M. Whitaker. Not only that, he also had something else to tell her regarding Karl and his investigation, so he could be her best option at the moment, Isra thought as she put on the most inconspicuous set of robes she owned.

As soon as she opened the door to the hallway though, she was glad for her decision. Standing in front of her was a grumpy looking Templar, gazing down at her with disdain written all over his face.

"Wha…?" Isra stopped in the middle of the doorway. Her first reflex was to step back, close the door and hide behind them. "Where is my guard?" There was a severe lack of Cullen or Raja in the hallway behind him, she noted. She turned her attention back on him, noticing that he was quite huge and quite unwilling to offer her any kind of answer.

"Isra."

It sounded more like a statement than a question and for a moment, she was afraid to answer. He could be there to hurt her, but she dismissed that thought fairly quickly. There were a number of apprentices running around the hallway at the moment and it would be the height of stupidity to try and attack her again in the middle of a public space during a very busy morning, with so many people around them.

She nodded slightly in reply and he seemed satisfied with the answer.

"I'm your new guard."

"Oh?" He seemed quite hostile for someone who was supposed to protect her, glaring at her as if she were a tiny annoying gnat just waiting to be crushed.

"Right." She quietly added. It appeared her curse was set. She'll talk to Hadley first.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello there all my lovely readers!**

**It's been a while - I've been awfully busy this last couple of weeks, and I sincerely apologise for this brief, and impromptu little hiatus.**

**However I did managed to get some writing done, which is why I return here with not only one but three new chapters, to make up for it! (Don't get too used to it though, this is quite probably a one time occurrence). And I also have to add a brief apology for any mistakes, or unusual turns of phrases you might find. I've been trying to make up for the lost time, by pulling off a few all nighters and I scarcely know what I wrote any more. English is not my first language, so it was quite a struggle. A Beta would help a lot though. Any volunteers? :P**

**Before I go: A brief and enthusiastic wave to _ClaireBrink_. *Hi!* Welcome and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story as much as you did the first part (or up till now at least). :D**

**And thank you to _macramaegoldstar_ for chiming in - to be honest I was considering sending you a photoshopped version of a tranquil goat for a few moments, but alas I had no time to follow through with my plan. If there are any inspiring enthusiasts, who are also photoshop savants, fell free to do so, just for the sake of goofing around. :P**

**To anyone else- feel free to add your feedback to the pile. It is always welcome and appreciated. Enjoy. ;)**

* * *

The whole Tower seemed to buzz with activity and excitement. Apprentices were running around with a sense of urgency underlined with what could only be called dread, which Isra found highly unusual. There had to be a new rumour running around, Isra thought to herself as she slowed down her walk, trying to catch a word or two as she passed by small groups of people alight with frenzied conversations.

"Isra!" She saw enchanter Hayes coming towards her, relief and worry overlapping on his face at the same time. Seeing that made her more than a little apprehensive.

"What's going on?" She asked as soon as he was near enough.

Hayes sighed, running a hand through his hair. "A Blight. If you can believe it."

"_What_?" Isra looked around again searching for assurance that Hayes was only joking, but the air around them was filled with worry and fear mixing with a strange sense of excitement. "It can't be. There hasn't been one…"

"….in four ages, yes. Still, the King and the Wardens think one is coming. They've gathered their armies at the edge of Korcari wilds and asked for our help…"

"Please don't tell me that…" Isra interrupted him, a feeling of dread starting to creep upon her as the realisation hit. He was the Circle's expert on combat magic; there was no way in Thedas that he wouldn't be one of the first to be called upon to help. She swallowed slowly, as she noticed his eyes confirming her suspicion. He was looking at her with open fondness, a slight one sided smile on his lips. "… Shit." Isra muttered under her breath.

"It probably isn't a real Blight anyway…"

Isra narrowed her eyes at him. She knew that the reassurance was only for her benefit, but she was too old for it to work on her. "You're probably right. The King probably just asked you to join him for tea. In the mists of old creepy-ass Tevinter ruins at the edge of the world, surrounded by mud and barbarians." She finished dryly, causing him to break out in laughter.

"Well, from what I hear, our King does have a taste for the dramatic…" He stopped in midsentence, clearly only now noticing the lumbering mountain of a Templar standing a few steps behind her and glowering at them from under its brows. Lowering his voice he looked at her, curiosity quickly quenching his amusement. "And that is…?"

"My new guard." Isra replied, still not entirely convinced of that fact herself. "I had a theory that he ate the other two. It seemed to be the most logical one, but now with the Blight….do you think they are going?"

"You'd have to ask the Knight-Commander or the Knight-Captain about that. I'm not the one making those calls." He answered with a slight smile.

"I'm planning to. This new…bodyguard…makes me nervous."

"I wonder why…" Hayes commented with a slight look towards the background. The Templar's glowering only seemed to intensify during their little conversation. "Right. You do that. I however still have a few preparations to make. Come by my study after you get some answers. We'll go over your lesson plan for the next few weeks."

"What? _Why_?" If anything, Isra thought that the doom of the impending Blight might allow her some free time, to mull and agonise over it. And especially over the fact that the closest thing she had to a father was now leaving for the front ranks to fight against it. Blight or no, increased number of Darkspawn running about was bad news no matter how flippant one tried to be about it.

"Don't think that my absence over the next couple of weeks means you get to lie around and have fun."

"Fun. Right." Isra's voice dripped with sarcasm as she offered him a pointed look.

Hayes carried on, ignoring her interruption. "I expect you to be as proficient in debilitation magic as your little tongue is at inserting dry comments into a conversation after I get back. And please be careful about it. I wouldn't want to return to a burnt down Tower." He paused to return her his own pointed look, making her laugh in response. "Don't forget to come by later."

Isra offered him what she hoped to be a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I won't. Burn down the Tower I mean." She added with a grin, leaving him shaking his head in amusement.

**\- o . O . o -**

Isra's mind was in turmoil as she walked down the corridors toward the Knight-Captain's little office. A Blight had a way of complicating things, to put it mildly. The horrors she read about of the Blights past, were enough to give her nightmares for months to come, only adding to the stress of her inevitable Harrowing.

Isra suppressed a shudder, quickening her pace and shifting her thoughts back on the task at hand. She needed a couple of answers and she prayed to Andraste, they would be helpful enough in alleviating the situation at least a little bit. It was high time for a little resolution, before any other new complications made their presence known.

Hadley's little office was a hive of activity when she arrived. Templars were running to and fro, with an occasional Tranquil added in the mix, going about their business.

Isra felt her stomach clench as the possibility of seeing Silani crossed her mind. She wasn't sure whether it was hope of seeing her friend or fear of the same thing that made her nervous. She still was unable to come to terms with the whole Tranquility aspect of the matter.

"What is this nonsense?! I demand to see the Knight-Commander!" A furious Templar screamed at a younger one, who was clearly wishing he could somehow shrunk into oblivion and away from the furious woman.

They were blocking the passage to the Knight-Commander's offices but Isra felt very much disinclined to point that out. There was a good chance that the screaming Templar's furry would turn on her instead as the next convenient scapegoat.

"I-I'm sorry Ser Rylock. The Knight-Commander is busy at the moment. You'll have to talk to the Knight-Captain."

"I will do no such thing!" Ser Rylock interrupted the young Templar. "The Mage has escaped! He needs to be hunted down, before he gets too far away!"

Isra's curiosity was picked by that time. The Mage? She couldn't possibly mean Anders, could she?

"Ser Rylock, if you please..."

Isra nearly jumped out of her skin at hearing her bodyguard's voice behind her. Turning back to stare at him in amazement, she notice his glowering attention was (thankfully) refocused on Ser Rylock in full force. He curtly motioned to the Templar, indicating that she was blocking the way, preventing a number of people from going into either direction, creating a captive audience. Apparently none of the other few Templars among the crowd dared to point out that fact to her.

"Fine." Ser Rylock replied curtly after a short glaring contest with Isra's new bodyguard, conceding his point. "I'll speak to the Knight-Captain, then. Move." She pushed through the crowd towards the Knight-Captain's office, nearly slamming the young Templar she was screaming at into the nearest wall. It didn't take any persuasion for the rest of the crowd to part away as if by magic, allowing her a clear passage to the door.

Isra almost felt bad for Hadley for a brief moment.

"Is this really important?"

"Huh?" Isra turned back again to find her glaring bodyguard focus his attention back at her with a slightly irritated look.

"Your business. Is it _really_ that important?" He indicated the crowd surrounding them, apparently also wanting to enter the Knight-Captain's office.

Isra swallowed heavily, her throat was nearly dry – say what you will, but her new bodyguard did have a frighteningly intimidating aura surrounding him – she squared her shoulders, returning him the best glare she could manage. "Yes." The Blight added to the sense of urgency she felt. It wasn't only about her ex bodyguards anymore; it was about the need to gain a sense of closure before everything comes crashing down. She imagined a Blight heralded a frightful amount of changes in the structure of the Templar and mage population, which could seriously dampen her own investigation, sending it a few steps back.

She turned away and focused her gaze on the door of the Knight-Captain's office, thus ending the debate. She would not move an inch, until she got what she wanted, even if she had to stand here the whole day, staring at the door in the company of the hulking brute behind her.

**\- o. O . o -**

"Ah! Isra. You have the most perfect timing." Hadley said as soon as she finally managed to enter his office after nearly a half a day of waiting.

"I do?" Isra could swear he seemed relieved.

"Ser Rylock was here not too long ago." He commented writing something down. "She informed me that a certain Mage is missing." He looked up at her at this, putting away the quill he was writing with. "A certain Mage whom - from what I heard, at least- received a visit from you just hours before he went missing."

Isra lifted an eyebrow, sending Hadley a pointed look. "And? You're insinuating I had something to do with his disappearance?"

Hadley smiled and leaned back in his chair. "I'm only asking. I have heard that you have a tender spot for that certain Mage."

"You have, have you?" Isra didn't even bother with hiding her annoyance. Noisy bastard. "Not that it's any of your business…but my crush had nothing to do with it. I did not help him escape out of some grand romantic gesture or notion. If I did, you better be sure, I'd be doing the whole escaping… thing …. _with_ him." She paused for another intake of breath, before continuing in the driest tone she could muster. "And, no. I also did not help him escape out of any other reasons. He did it all by himself, without informing me of it. And if you want to know what we talked about, we talked about Karl. As you might have heard already, Karl was helping me – along with/and by a request from enchanter Hayes, I might add. So…no. I have no idea when, why or how he escaped. But it's not like he escaped for the first time. Or that you had any serious trouble with finding and bringing him back after each single escape… Can we please just get to the stuff that is actually important?"

Hadley lifted his eyebrows in amusement. "Oh? Such as?"

Isra offered him a levelled gaze. "Such as: why the change with my bodyguards? What is going on with your investigation regarding Silani? And where is she?"

"Is that all?"

"Yes. For now." She added with a sweet smile, after a short pause.

Hadley sighed, taking a small sip from a cup on his table. "Right." He said gently and leaned forward in his chair. "First. Raja was punished due to her abandoning her post and getting drunk while still on guard duty. I don't think I need to point out why I decided to relieve her of it."

Isra shifted her gaze towards the table between them, trying to prevent her eyes from betraying her guilt and sincerely hoped the punishment didn't involve anything too serious. Raja was not alone to blame in this matter, and Isra felt more than a little regret at the fact that basically the Templar got punished for being too friendly with her charges.

Hadley cleared his throat, taking a sip from a nearby cup. "However you have nothing to worry about. Your new guard is as reliable as one can be."

"Really?" Isra added with a pointed look. "He looks like he'd like to _reliably_ flay me alive."

Hadley nearly chocked on his next sip. "I admit." He replied as soon as he cleared his throat, swabbing away the errant drop or two, from his chin. "Ser Malcom, does look … a bit … dastardly. But he takes his duty seriously and he won't let any harm come to you, I assure you."

"Dastardly. Well, that's one way of putting it." Isra replied dryly.

"What was the next question?"

"Your investigation. Silani." Isra replied evenly.

"Ah. Well, I can't tell you anything about our investigation, since it's still a work in progress. A few arrests have been made and I think we're nearing towards the end. However I imagine the Blight will postpone our efforts for a few weeks. I hope that alleviates any concerns you might have had on that matter?"

"Alleviate? After that vague account, which could roughly be translated as… soon?" Isra commented sending him a narrowed look. "I'll feel much more…_alleviated_…once I receive some kind of reassurance that deals more in facts and results, rather than sketchy promises."

Hadley answered her with a small shrug. "Vagueness is sadly all I can offer you at this time."

"You're all broken up about it, I'm sure." Isra commented dryly. "Can you at least tell me _why_ Silani? Why her and what did they … do to her?" her voice nearly broke at that, and she hid it in a slight cough.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why." He leaned back with a sigh and shook his head, a rueful smile on his lips. "I don't know whether to be proud or horrified at the fact, but the Templars involved with that were pretty tight lipped about the reason behind it all. If I had to guess, I'd say they were protecting someone." He returned his gaze back on her, one corner of his lips turned up slightly. "You have to wonder how one can inspire such loyalty even in the face of…well no matter." He added, waving his hand in dismissal. "As for the type of abuse…I think the fact that she preferred to be made Tranquil, than to live with the consequences makes the level of its severity fairly clear enough that I don't need to repeat it."

"You're wrong. She still lives with the consequences of it, even if she doesn't feel them." Isra commented quietly, sending him a hard look. Clearing her throat softly and swallowing her emotions, she continued with determination. "Can I speak to her?"

Hadley shook his head slowly, looking at her with regret. "I'm sorry. The Knight-Commander thought it best to send her away. To protect her."

"Where?" Isra barely managed to choke out, the suppressed emotions returning with force, being gradually replaced by desperation and frustration.

"The Kirkwall's Circle. With Karl." Hadley replied gently. "He'll make sure she is safe."

Isra felt her throat relax as a brief surge of relief flowed through her, calming her down a little. There had to be a way she could send Karl a letter with questions she needed her friend to answer, bypassing the Templars. Anders probably knew something about how to do that, with his knowledge of Karl's little underground spy network… She cursed inwardly as she remembered that he escaped just a few hours ago. _Dammit Anders! You could have waited_.

Taking a deep breath, to steady herself Isra decided to take a little risk. She was tired of waiting, and Hadley said there were near the end of the investigation, so he probably knew something about it after all. "Can I ask you about a M. Whitaker?"

"What?" Hadley seemed genuinely taken aback at the apparent _non sequitur_.

"It's just…"

"Ser?" The young Templar Isra saw being screamed at by Ser Rylock a few hours ago, popped his head into the office, looking slightly apologetic. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Knight-Commander told me he needed to see you as soon as possible. And he needed you to look over the orders of deployment for…" he glanced quickly at Isra, obviously reluctant to say anything else in her presence "tomorrow and…ah also this. Thing." Pointedly clearing his throat he placed a stack of papers on the desk in front of Hadley.

Hadley nodded quickly, a wry smile on his lips. "Of course, Presley. Tell the Knight-Commander I'll be there presently."

Presley bobbed his head a few times quickly, before he disappeared, closing the door again.

Hadley motioned apologetically to Isra as he made to stand. "As you can see… duty calls."

"Oh no, no, no." Isra quickly stood up with him, placing herself in front of the door handle to prevent him from leaving. She was under no illusion that her slender frame would have any real effect in stopping him, but she didn't care to acknowledge that fact for the moment. "No. You have to tell me. Make it as short as you can, but you _have_ to tell me. I have no intention of leaving here without an answer, even if I have to find a way to glue myself to the floor of this office."

Hadley sighed heavily; pinching his nose in what Isra saw, was an obvious attempt to hide his own amusement. "Where did you get that name?"

"Not important." Isra replied quickly. "Who is he/she?"

Hadley sighed again, taking a moment to skim through the papers Presley brought, signing a few of them. "_He_ was a Templar - but I have the feeling you already know that, or you wouldn't be asking _me_ about it. He was involved in some kind of a tavern brawl a little more than a year ago. It didn't end well for him." He looked up again at her, taking a couple of papers with him and rolling them up. "Do you mind telling me how you came to know about him now? And also what is your interest in him?"

"He's dead?" Hadley nodded in response, coming up next to her. "Well…that's unfortunate. I had a feeling he was somehow related to this whole mess with Silani."

Hadley raised his brow in response. "Oh? Dare I ask what made you think that?"

Isra shrugged her shoulders, electing a non-committal sound in response. "Just a hunch I guess. I seem to remember she mentioned him to me once…" He didn't seem particularly satisfied with that answer, so she quickly continued, trying to direct attention away from the matter. "Do you think he might have something to do with it? I mean. Was he the type to do something like that?"

Hadley shook his head in reply. "Hardly. He was a model Templar, quiet and kind to his charges, from what I've heard. Not a single bad thing was said against him. And also - he did die well before those attacks started."

"Really?" Isra tapped her lip slowly, trying to think up a question that would enable her at least some insight into the reason why Silani left her the amulet. But perhaps Hadley wasn't the right person to ask after all. "You said he died in a tavern brawl? It doesn't sound like something a quiet and kind model Templar would be involved with."

"Depends on the circumstances, I guess." Hadley answered with a wry smile.

"Oh? Do you know of the circumstances then?"

Hadley shook his head, gently reaching for the door handle behind her, trying to move her out of the way unobtrusively. "Sadly no. There was an official investigation – there always is in unusual cases such as this one – but it didn't turn up anything out of the ordinary."

"Unusual? You mean suspicious." Isra grabbed the handle behind her, forcing him to stand back a little or risk inappropriate amount of closeness with her.

He narrowed his eyes a little, clearly annoyed. "Don't even think about going around on another impromptu little investigation of your own. We have rumours of blood mages running around, this investigation to finish up and now…we also have the threat of the Blight upon us." He sighed, looking truly tired and more than a little annoyed, causing Isra to take a little pity on him and remove herself from the door.

He offered her a grateful nod, opening the door slightly. "However. I do promise you, that I'll tell you everything you wish to know about Whitaker, _after_ I get back from Ostagar."

"Fine." Isra replied reluctantly. "But don't you dare let yourself be eaten by Darkspawn in the meanwhile."

Hadley lifted an eyebrow looking down at her with what appeared to be irritated amusement. "I'll do my best." And then moved aside to let her though.

"Good. See you after you get back, then." Isra added sweetly. She could have sworn she heard Hadley groan in reply as she left.


	14. Chapter 14

**\- o . O . o -**

Isra mulled over the information she had just received as she walked back from Hadley's office. Silani's relocation bothered her, only adding to the feeling of loss she felt after finding out her friend had chosen to become tranquil, but at the same time it was a relief to know that she had finally managed to escape her tormentors. Isra only prayed she would be safe and well enough in Kirkwall, finding a modicum of consolation from the fact that Karl was there with her.

Sending another muttered curse aimed in the direction of elusive pretty bastard otherwise known as Anders, Isra shifted her thoughts back to the matter of Whitaker. Apparently Silani left that amulet there before leaving – and probably because of it - but to what end? Was it a warning? A clue? Amulets hold no sentimental value for a Tranquil, so there had to be a logical reason behind that decision, if only Isra could figure out what it was. She was seriously fed up with waiting, and she doubted that Hadley was the only one with any information on Whitaker's unfortunate demise, so she saw no real reason in waiting – save caution, but perhaps she could make a few discreet inquiries? If push comes to shove she had some sort of protection after all. Isra thought to herself gazing back at her glaring mountain of a guard. And besides, she felt no compulsion whatsoever to make things easy on him. He didn't look like the sort who could just idly follow her about or stand around, and he certainly wasn't pretty enough to justify doing only that.

Speaking of pretty, where _is_ Cullen? Isra wondered as she noticed that almost half a day had already passed and there seemed to be no indication whatsoever of an impending guard rotation among her bodyguards.

"What?" Ser Malcom asked her, in what came very close to sounding like an angry bark.

Suppressing the instinct to jump up, Isra sent him a returning glare, hopefully as unfriendly as the one he was sending her at the moment. "I was only wondering when your replacement is supposed to arrive."

His glare intensified, enriched with the undertones of obvious exasperation. Apparently Ser Malcom was less than prepared to hold any kind of verbal exchange with his charge, no matter how brief. "There _is_ no replacement."

Isra stopped, stunned into silence. "_What_?" She managed to croak out, after a few moments of shocked gaping, which did nothing to improve Malcom's predisposition towards her. _You can't be serious_, _please don't tell me that I'm stuck with you! Where is Cullen?!_ She desperately screamed inside, a part of her truly terrified at the prospect, unhelpfully submitting her thoughts of Cullen being sent off to fight the Blight.

"Humph."

And that appeared all the response she would get from Malcom on that matter.

"Where is Cullen? He is not being sent away to fight the Blight is he?" Isra finally managed to ask, unsatisfied with the first answer.

A lifted brow decided to accompany Malcom's glare resulting in what could be perceived as a mix of astonishment, curiosity and intensified annoyance. A part of Isra's brain, that wasn't currently occupied with images of gory death involving Cullen, was starting to become really impressed by the many different glares her new bodyguard could convey through his facial expressions. "I'm not in a position to answer that question, neither do I want to."

"Fine." Isra replied curtly, turning around on her heel.

"Hey! Where are you going!?"

"Back to the Knight-Commander's office."

Malcom's only reply involved what could only be called a growl, causing Isra to wonder whether he was partly descended from a Werewolf or a Were-Mabari, if such a thing even existed.

**\- o . O . o -**

She didn't manage to get very far as she heard Hayes' voice call out to her from behind. She turned around reluctantly, cursing under her breath as she slowly started to walk back towards the Enchanter.

"I was just about to go look for you. Come, we haven't much time."

"But…" Isra objected under her breath, not yet prepared to completely abandon her current objective.

"Hm?" Hayes asked only half listening; he seemed more than a little distracted. "You wouldn't believe how many tasks are still waiting for me – Irving appointed me of all people, to overlook the management of our magical supplies and potions for the upcoming battle, among other things, so now I have to wait around for the merchant to arrive and I thought that we could maybe squeeze a short lunch, while I wait. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Isra's stomach decided to reply that question for her, chiming in with a loud growl at the mention of food and causing its owner to blush sheepishly over the realisation that she was in fact starving.

Hayes offered her a wide smile, apparently having heard the reply. "Good. Come. We'll talk while we eat."

**\- o . O . o -**

Isra threw herself upon the food in front of her like a starved wolf. It was the first time she sat at the smaller table, reserved for the Senior Enchanters and it made her more than a little nervous, hence one of the reasons why most of her attention was devoted to the food in front of her.

The other was the fact that she felt suddenly extremely shy in the presence of a couple of Senior Enchanters, who were also leaving for the battlefront tomorrow. Apparently Hayes had a few things to discuss with them, which was why she suddenly found herself in their company, trying hard to ignore the flabbergasted stares from the rest of the apprentices and mages alike.

"Isra. You're wolfing down your food like pure bread Mabari." Hayes pointed out in an aside to her. "Manners, girl."

Isra forced herself to slow down, blushing furiously in embarrassment. "Sorry." She whispered back, risking a quick glance around the table to see if anyone else was looking at her – thankfully, no one was – and she returned her attention back to her plate. She had to wonder though, if her manners were really that offensive. Uldred was chewing with his mouth wide open, passionately waving his spoon around, caught in a deep argument with another Senior Enchanter. From a few bits of the conversation she managed to catch on, the conversation was about the Circle's fraternities and she quickly turned her attention away from the boring topic. Politics never really interested her all that much.

"Hayes! I'm glad to hear that you'll be joining us. And I see you've brought your young protégée along. Hello there, young lady."

Isra's blushed worsened after the attention of the whole table suddenly focused towards her after that introduction from Wynne who had just arrived, offering her a warm smile along with her greeting. She smiled sheepishly, nodding in reply and muttering a greeting back. For unknown reason she always felt nervous around Wynne, the aura of grandmotherly love causing her to feel guilty about any rule she had ever broken.

"No need to call her that. It will go to her to her head." Hayes commented with a wry smile.

Wynne waved away his comment with a smile of her own, and then turned her attention back to Isra. "I understand you're quite proficient at destruction spells."

"Er…I try."

"Nonsense. She is a natural. There is no trying involved anywhere in the process." Hayes added smiling and looking at her with pride in his eyes.

Isra smiled back, but felt uneasy with such proclamation, which was generously glossing over the fact, that she was not quite so natural when it came to fire spells.

"Is that so?" Uldred chimed in, clearly interested.

Hayes nodded in reply, but was interrupted by Wynne, before he could say anything else on the matter. "Destruction magic is dangerous and unpredictable. How are you able to control it? From what I understand, you have a fair amount of trouble when it comes to any other kind of magic. Creation in particular."

Isra didn't think it was possible to blush even further than she already had. Her face was quite near to bursting out in flames from embarrassment and all the attention. "It's true that every time I even attempt to cast a spell from the Creation school of magic something burst in flames or fires back in some other way, which is why I make a point of avoiding performing those types of spells. However there are quite a number of experts quite proficient in that field of magic after all and I doubt that me not being one of them is a great loss overall."

There was a burst of laughter at her reply, coming from Uldred who clearly seemed amused by it.

"True." Wynne nodded in confirmation, before she turned irritably toward Uldred. "Will you please calm down, you are covering us with pieces of your half-masticated food." Not waiting for a response, she turned her attention back towards Isra. "And how about other areas of magic? I hear you also have some troubles with those?"

Wynne seemed genuinely curious in the matter, but by this point Isra felt as if she was under some sort of examination, which made her more than a little nervous. What would happen if she failed? "Er…"

"She had a few troubles, yes. However with the help from Karl, we've managed to alleviate them considerably." Hayes chimed in calmly, with his charming one-sided smile. "I think it's fair to say she'd already surpassed most of the apprentices her age in versatility."

_What_? Isra looked at him incredulously, wondering whether there was something in his food that was somehow affecting his mental capabilities, making him say these type of absurd and overgenerous proclamations with so much confidence. She had the horrible feeling that this whole lunch affair was not as spontaneous as she it seemed to be at first, and that this cross-examination, combined with Hayes' overblown statements served as some kind of prelude to her Harrowing.

"Really?" Wynne lifted her eyebrows, clearly unconvinced in this proclamation.

Hayes nodded energetically, clearly nonplussed. "Oh yes." He shifted a little in his seat, reaching in one of the many pockets he had in his robes. "I theorised that the reason she was so responsive to our teachings at first lied in the fact that our methods were perhaps unsuitable for her mind to comprehend."

_Uh…I'm sitting right here_, Isra stared at him in disbelief. Was he really just talking about her like she was not even there?

"So I devised a set of exercises that might be… a little unorthodox, but I hoped they would help." Hayes continued, pulling out a small notebook and offering it to Wynne. "Karl helped me with a few of them before he left."

"Interesting." Wynne commented quietly as she slowly shuffled through it. "And that helped?"

Hayes nodded. "Immensely. The progress was visible after only a few weeks of practice."

By this point Isra felt she had reached the plateau of uncomfortableness. She was absolutely fed up with listening to them talk about her as if she was a test nug of some kind. Deciding that the best course of action was an immediate escape, she stood up and took a stroll towards the table covered in desserts to get herself a few pick me ups. Maker knew she desperately needed one.

Her exit went by unnoticed, confirming her theory about her own position as merely the object of their discussion and not an active participant. It seemed as if Hayes was a peddler of some sort, and she was the product he was trying to pitch to a customer.

A few moments later she was busy carefully piling a hefty number of muffins on a small plate, as she caught a glimpse of Cullen entering the dining hall from the corner of her eyes. Adding the last muffin on to the pile, she was just about to head in his direction in an attempt to ask him in person about the nature of his new duty, mostly whether it involved him standing in front of the Darkspawn as a shield for some random mage, when she bumped into Mica, looking torn between amusement and curiosity.

"Isra."

"What?"

"What's going on? You're hoarding muffins."

"How very observant of you." Isra commented, adding another muffin on the precariously balanced pile.

"Very." He offered her a levelled gaze, crossing his arms in front of him and indicating he is not prepared to move away, until he got some sort of an answer. Isra knew that look. She had time to observe it many times before, when he used it on Silani. "You're sitting at the Senior Enchanter's table and hoarding muffins. The first one is strange enough as it is, but the last one indicates something about it is probably stressing you out. What's going on?"

"What isn't?" Isra replied, letting out a frustrated sigh, giving in to the need to vent. "Well, since you asked…I'm worried Hayes' is up to something. It was his idea to drag me to that table and he's been busy singing me praises for the last half an hour, while Wynne was performing her own little interrogation of some sort, talking about me as if I'm some sort of…a specimen. Then there is the Blight. And Hayes is going. As is Cullen probably and I was trying to ask him exactly that, before you interrupted me. It's a high probability that he is, due to the fact that I have a new guard, who was sent to replace Raja and is now busy practicing his menacing glares on me, and I've yet to see any sign that he also didn't replace Cullen in the process. And that's only the general stuff." Isra finished with a wave towards the crowded dining hall, indicating that the rest was of more sensitive nature.

Mica nodded in reply, brow creased in thought. "Right. Well." He nodded again and then suddenly turned away and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Isra called out to him, feeling more than a little offended at his impromptu exit.

Turning back, he waved her away muttering something about Cullen and that she should return back towards the Senior Enchanter's table.

Isra stood there in confusion for a few moments before deciding to obey his advice. She was fairly certain that whatever it was that he was attempting to do, she'd know about it well before the end of the day.

**\- o . O . o -**

Sometime later Isra was lying on her bed, reading the little notebook Hayes was waving about at lunch. It turned out to be a set of exercises especially prepared for her, with a little help from Karl, containing different references to the books he gave her or left behind for her to take. The little notebook thus acting like a key that connected all the dots, giving her additional explanations and offering her guidance in the absence of both her teachers.

Part of her felt relieved to have something she could work with, to keep her mind of things in the upcoming weeks, but another part felt more than a little daunted. The praise Hayes sang to her at lunch, left her feeling terrified at the prospect of all the expectations she suddenly needed to live up to and justify his own words to him, herself as well as the Senior Enchanters that had witnessed it. For unknown reason she felt that it was extremely important to do so.

"Cullen is not going to Ostagar." Mica said, interrupting her thoughts with his arrival, as he plonked himself down on the bed next to her. "He's not very happy about it though."

Isra sat up immediately, feeling as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. "Oh, Mica. Thank you."

He waved it aside, still looking fairly worried. "No need. I did it for myself as much as I did it for you. Wouldn't want him to steal all of your attention." He turned to look at her, keeping his face carefully blank. "But he won't be your personal guard anymore…and I think he made the right decision."

"What? Why?"

"Whatever was going on between you two…it had to stop. You two were dangerously close of crossing that line, Isra. He recognised that, and asked for a transfer. And I commend him for it." He pursed his lips, lying back on the bed. "And don't you dare deny it. I see it in your face plain as day whenever you look at him. I've been there remember?"

Isra laid back herself, carefully staring at the bunk in front of her while he talked. She understood the sentiment, and knew that there were good intentions behind it, but she still felt more than a little hurt at Cullen's decision.

"So… Do you have any new information on that M. Whitaker?" Mica carefully changed the subject, sitting up again and looking at her expectantly.

Isra nodded, forcing her emotions aside. "He's dead. Apparently he was killed in a tavern brawl more than a year ago. Before Silani's first attack. And speaking of her…" she sat up too, looking directly into her friend's eyes. "She was sent away. Kirkwall."

Mica's eyes widened in surprise. "With Karl?"

Isra nodded. "Apparently they thought it was the best was to protect her. Their investigation was supposedly nearing to an end, but is now left on hold, with the Blight and everything. Mica…" she pulled out the little book Silani gave her for her birthday from her left pocket, handing it to him. "Just read this please." She added, opening the little book on the page containing Silani's list of rules for her and then laid back, trying to clear her mind of frustration that was slowly starting to build itself inside her. She wasn't angry at Cullen, for his decision, but the fact that it had to be made in the first place started to frustrate her. The fact that she was stupid enough, to come so close to falling in love.

"I knew it!"

"Huh?" She snapped out of her dark musings looking back at him. He seemed almost as frustrated as she was. "What?"

"Katara. Silani mentions her as being a blood mage. It all makes sense now. I tried talking to her about the girl I found the night before – it turned out they were friends – but she was awfully secretive about it to the point of completely ignoring me. As was her friend." He looked directly at Isra, with a queer look. "I just don't get it. The girl – Ella is her name – also refused to talk to me. At all. She even said that I was imagining things! That the attack never happened. And get this…" he leaned closer, clearly angry by this point. "She threatened to blame me as the perpetrator! She said that if I ever tried to talk to her again or if I try to tell anyone else about it, she would go out and proclaim to everyone that _I_ did it!"

"What!?" Isra sprung from her bed like a jack in the box, her anger starting to manifest itself in full force as she started pacing up and down in front of her bed. "That mean little… Why!?"

Mica shook his head and clenched his fists. "If I were to guess. They were hiding something. And that something might be related to blood magic. Which, in turn could also indicate that maybe…just maybe, the cause for the attack might have been different, than it was in Silani's case. It might not even been the same group of Templars. From what I've managed to gather from my own little investigation, talking to apprentices, none of the other victims – I've managed to found two, by the way; at least two that were willing to talk to me – said anything about an Enchanter being involved."

Isra cocked her head on the side, stopping for a few moments. "Then the Enchanter could be the key."

Mica nodded. "The Templars are a dead end. They wore their helmets, and even if they hadn't approaching them could be…risky. Now the Enchanter…" he took a deep breath and stood up, to face Isra directly. "There is only one that is of the same height and build. It's Enchanter Eleina."

"Eleina?" Isra sat down abruptly. "No. It cannot be. Silani trusted her."

Mica nodded quickly, kneeling in front of her and looking straight into her eyes. "Not only that. Eleina is not particularly popular with the Templars, remember?"

It was common knowledge that Enchanter Eleina was a passionate proponent of including basic fighting techniques in the standard mages' curriculum. The main thing she was trying to achieve with it was to create a combat mage that would be less reliant upon others to defend him or her. Which would limit and hinder the role of a Templar considerably, due to the mere fact that such a mage, would be harder to kill if necessary. It didn't take a brilliant scholar to figure out why that idea wouldn't sit well with the Templars or the Chantry.

"So why would the Templars be prepared to work with her?"Isra said out loud, trying to come up with and answer.

"Perhaps if the apprentice was suspected of also being a blood mage…?"

Isra shook her head. "What? Vigilante justice? Templars don't need to go vigilante remember? They have the authority and all the blessings in this world to deal with a blood mage full on, in the middle of the day, preferably in some spectacularly gory way, that would deter all the mages witnessing it from ever dabbling with it until the end of our days."

"Good point."

"Of course it is." Isra offered him a wry smile in reply and shook her head again. "No. I'm sick of speculating. You say the girl won't talk. It's a shame Silani isn't here to confirm whether she had seen this Ella with Katara, performing those blood magic rituals, but I think it's safe to assume that she is involved with all that." She sighed, shaking her head yet again, this time in an attempt to clear it of the thoughts and feelings that sprung up at the mere mention of Silani's name. "No. I say, we talk to the Enchanter directly. Confront her."

"What?" Mica stood up again, staring at her in disbelief. "And what makes you think, she'll even admit to this?"

Isra shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know whether she will. But I'm sick and tired of speculating and if this _is_ a different group of Templars…well, it will only muddle things up for our own investigation. No. Desperate times, call for desperate measures and stupid decisions on my part." Isra answered with an apologetic smile. "But don't you worry about little old me. I've got a new bodyguard and I'm not afraid to use him. After all… he has to earn his keep somehow, right?" She added with a small shrug and then turned away, heading for Enchanter Eleina's office. "Whish me luck." She called over her shoulders, seeing him shake his head in astonished amusement.

"Good luck!" He yelled back right before she went through the door. "Crazy human."


	15. Chapter 15

Enchanter Eleina was known to be vocal and brutally honest especially about the touchy issues regarding mages rights and freedoms, sometimes to the point of being too aggressive which made her something of a notorious figure in the Circle, even among her own party of libertarians. At the same time that level of infamy protected her better than any bodyguard could.

In a way Isra admired her for being so brave and outspoken, literally painting a target on her back, but still true to her convictions.

"Enchanter." Isra greeted Eleina opening the door to her small little study.

Eleina looked up from a book in front of her, scowling at the interruption. "Oh…er…hello…"

"Isra." Isra helpfully added with, what she hoped, was a charming smile. "Silani's friend."

"Oh! Isra. Right." The mention of Silani seemed to work like a charm, and Eleina stood up from her book coming towards Isra to greet her, a big smile on her face. "Come in, come in. I was so sorry to hear about Silani. She was one of my best students."

Isra nodded politely, keeping a tight grip on her feelings at the mention of her friend. "I have a small question that I need to ask..."

"Of course, what do you wish to know?"

"I've…heard you were involved in an altercation…of some sort. A couple of nights ago. It involved an apprentice called Ella?" Best not to mention the Templars to soon, Isra thought.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I'd prefer not to say. And it's not really important; you see…Silani had been abused by the Templars to the point of deciding to turn to Tranquillity in order to be able to live with the memories." Isra paused for a few moments, wanting for her words to sink in and carefully observing Eleina's reaction at the news.

The Enchanter was listening to her with a mixed range of feelings playing on her face, from curiosity and amusement, to shock and in the end to devastated sadness which for some reason Isra found comforting. After all, enchanter's inability to hide her own feelings, made Isra's current job a lot easier.

"And the reason why I'm asking you that question is really quite simple. I want to know if you had anything to do with the attack on Ella and if you also had anything to do with Silani's? Those started after she started helping you with your research. And on the whole looks highly suspicious."

"I see." Eleina replied quietly, her face a mask of torment. "I will tell you right now that I had nothing to do with the attacks on Silani. If I had known about them sooner…Well I'd certainly do something about it."

Isra nodded, but stayed quiet, waiting patiently for Eleina to continue.

"And I can also tell you right now, that I did not harm Ella. Of that I can assure you." Eleina was looking Isra directly in the eyes as she said it, which made it clear that she wasn't lying. "I don't know what you've heard or what the people who told you that, had thought they saw, but it certainly wasn't an attack and I most definitely was not in league with the Templars." Eleina concluded adamantly, still holding Isra's gaze.

Isra was inclined to believe her on that.

At this point Eleina leaned back on the table behind her. "I believe that by this point, you've probably also encountered rumours of blood mages running around the Tower?"

Isra nodded again, remaining quiet. So Mica was partly on the right track after all, it had something to do with blood mages.

"Well, I've decided to do some digging into the matter. As you're probably also aware by now, I'm a libertarian. And quite an outspoken one at that." She said with a slight smile. "Anyway, my suspicions had led me to believe that some of my co-libertarians were involved in some sort of crazy scheme involving taking over the Tower, with the help of blood magic. I know how crazy this all sounds, but I've done some research into the matter and I believe they've been practising blood magic in secret for quite some time now."

Isra found herself nodding, before she could stop herself, when a realisation suddenly hit her. "How did you discover about those blood mages?"

Eleina smiled faintly, cocking her head on the side. "Silani told me."

Isra replied with a similar smile. "I guessed that was probably the case."

"So you know about it?"

"Yes."

"I had to do something about it. So I did some research. I started the rumours, hoping that the Templars would make themselves useful for a change and track those mages down, before they would do anything stupid. The only gesture in that direction was made by Irving when he took away the books on blood magic from the shelves in the library." It was clear Eleina was still quite bitter about it. "The Templars did nothing."

"May I ask how come you're against the idea…I mean you're quite outspoken about the fact that you want the mages to rule themselves."

Eleina offered her a stern look in reply. "I am. But I am also quite strictly against using blood magic in general. First of all it makes us look bad and untrustworthy – we'd be feeding directly into the Chantry's propaganda – and second, I've been trying for years to gain at least some sort of combat training for the mages, who specialise in offensive spells. And in order to achieve that I first need the people to trust the mages with sharp or pointy weapons. I cannot achieve that if I'm cutting myself at the first opportunity I get now can I?"

Isra nodded in agreement, smiling slightly at her colourful description. "And where does Ella come into this?"

"Long story short. I needed proof that could finally spur the Templars into action. Silani told me about Katara. From what I observed of the girl, Katara is quite a formidable young girl and fairly stubborn. In other words – a though nut to crack. But her friend seemed an easier challenge. My basic plan was to intimidate her into revealing me the location and time of their meetings, so I could drag the Knight-Commander there and rub it into his face. So to speak." Eleina added belatedly, with a slight smile. "To be honest it was a bad plan. And I knew that it was, but I was getting restless. Anyway the girl has a serious problem of keeping her robes down. Her string of lovers probably involves half of the apprentices' population of the Tower by now." She shook her head in disapproval, pursing her lips. "I don't know if Silani has told you that already, but I also deal in some delicate business regarding birth control. Meaning the girls usually come to me for herbs, necessary to prevent them from getting pregnant. I'm no Ines the Botanist, but I'm quite good at botany, myself, so if you ever need that sort of thing…"

Isra blushed at the implications and murmured a polite "thank you, but no. At least not yet." Her blush deepening. Who would she have used it with, anyway?

Eleina nodded, looking at her with an amused smile. "Suit yourself. Anyway, as you might imagine, Ella was quite the regular customer. And I thought we were close enough for her to trust me. So at first I approached her gently. And then after she wouldn't budge I started using extortion. It's an ugly thing, but it was a means to an end. In the end I had to resort to refusing to give her the herbs. Still, she didn't cave. And then a couple of months later, namely a few nights ago, she comes to me teary eyed and desperate, informing me that she is pregnant and it is my fault and demands that I get rid of it." Eleina sighed at this, shaking her head at the memory. "The only one who could help her at that point was one of the healers. I mean, I know a plant or two that could lead to premature labour, but I have no means of stopping the bleeding or of saving her, if anything goes awry. The plants have limited possibilities and creation magic is a foreign language to me. I am a botanist exactly because of that fact. I try to heal with herbs and potions instead of magic. I think we share that interest."

"Well I'm not really all that interested in botany."

"Not yet, anyway." Eleina looked her with a knowing smile. "It's useful knowledge to have and it allows you to be a little less dependent on the creationists. Some of them can be a real pain in the ass about it. Privileged little bastards. That mage, who keeps escaping is the best proof of that. If he were adept at any other field of magic, less useful to the Templars, you can be dead sure he'd be already dead after his first escape."

Isra had to concede that point. It was fairly obvious after all. The Templars hated Anders. He was as open about his own opinions and convictions as Eleina was, but he was a proficient healer, so he lived.

"Back to Ella. I wasn't all that inclined to reveal to her that I couldn't help her. I realised that that could be the best opportunity for me to press her for the information. So I did. Bottom line, it didn't go over that well. By the time the Templars showed up, we were nearly wrestling on the hallway's floor, me screaming at her to tell me what she knew and she screaming right back like a banshee. Anyway the Templars dragged me off of her – after indulging themselves in observing the fight first for a few lengthy moments, of course. Prime time entertainment in their eyes. Anyway in the end they ordered her to return back to her dormitory and I was forced to go with them to visit the Knight-Commander, all the while listening to them cackling amongst themselves about it. Useless bastards." For a moment Isra expected enchanter Eleina to spit on the floor as she had said it, but she stopped herself in time.

"My source said you were strolling behind them." Isra commented quietly, not even bothering to hide her own amusement at the story by this point. Enchanter Eleina certainly was a passionate, on the nose sort.

Eleina tittered a little, before replying. "I was. I keep my word and I take my punishment when I deserve it, but I'm an Enchanter and I'd be dammed to allow myself to be dragged off like a common criminal. Thankfully I still have a modicum of authority left and they trusted me to follow them. I like to think strolling along was my way of saying, I don't give a fuck."

"I can see why Silani liked you."

"Well I liked her also. She was my favourite after all." Isra could see the suppressed emotion in Enchanter's eyes as she said that, so she quickly looked away, in order to keep the lid tight on her own feelings. "In any case," Eleina continued, blinking away the unshed tears, "I was hoping you'd come by. Silani told me a lot about you…" she moved away from the table, heading for a giant bookcase standing in the corner of her office, picking up a book from it. Isra saw that it had a ribbon around it, with a bow on top. "…and I think you're going to like this. I've set it aside especially for you."

Isra looked at the book in her hand with wonder. It was a book about fighting techniques from Antiva.

"I hope I don't need to tell you, that it's technically still illegal for a mage of the Circle to have a book such as this in their possession, let alone read it, so you keep it hidden, all right?"

Isra nodded quickly, incapable of speech. She couldn't wait to show it to Mica. "T-Thank you." She finally managed to say through all the excitement that was threatening to choke her. "But…my bodyguard."

"Oh right." Eleina slapped her forehead at the realisation of his existence. "I completely forgot. Here." She took her book, unwrapping it quickly and hiding it between a couple of think volumes on botany. "You'll take all of this. And we'll have him carrying them for you." She added with a devious smile. "And don't worry. You can return those if you don't find them interesting." She added pointing to the two humongous volumes.

Isra smiled gratefully, relieved to hear that she wouldn't need to actually read them. "Oh, before I forget! Has Silani ever mentioned anything about a Templar named Whitaker?"

Eleina's brow creased in consternation. "No. Why? Is he involved in all of this?"

Isra shook her head ruefully. "Apparently not. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to speak to me Enchanter."

"Don't mention it." Eleina answered with a warm smile. "I do hope that the next time you come, it will be to talk about something less… embarrassing. And I would appreciate it very much if you could enlighten your…source. I wouldn't want the wrong kind of rumours to spread around."

Isra nodded with a reassuring smile. "I promise."

"Oh and I hope you do know that I will help you in any way I can. So if you ever need help, don't hesitate to come. And also if you hear anything else regarding those blood mages…I'd appreciate it if you could take the time to inform me of it."

Isra nodded again and then opened the door, using the sweetest voice she could produce. "Ser Malcom? I have a favour to ask you."

**\- o . O . o -**

Strangely enough Isra had no trouble with falling asleep later that night, even though she lived through a fairly intense and emotionally draining day. Even so, it appeared that sleep and her were not meant to be this night, for she was rudely awakened, heart pounding and all, to find a hooded stranger standing in front of her, his hand pressed against her mouth, preventing her to scream out or call for help.

"Shhhh."

She nodded quickly her assent, seeing no alternative than to do as he asked. The size of the hand pressing on her mouth made it fairly clear that its owner was a man, and a strong one at that.

He removed it slightly, allowing her to breathe again more freely, after being reassured that she wouldn't scream out. "I'm not here to hurt you. Come with me, please."

She obeyed him without question, her mind working over time trying to come up with possible escape options or reasonable explanations regarding this strange occurrence. She probably should have called out, now that she was free to speak again, but he – whoever it was - seemed far too polite about it. She was fairly sure that villains usually didn't start their introductions by reassuring their victims that they are not going to hurt them.

Still, she slowly started to clear her mind, preparing herself to use magic, if need be. The question that was really bothering her, as she observed his clumsy attempt at being sneaky, was how did this man manage to get past her bodyguard. He obviously wasn't any good at sneaking about.

Her musings were quickly interrupted, as the door in front of them suddenly opened and a Templar in full armour, grabbed her night time guest, dragging him out and from what she heard slamming him at the nearest wall on the hallway.

Isra quickly followed them, her curiosity at this new development overruling any notion of self-preservation.

Stepping out, she gasped out in surprise before she could stop herself. "Cullen!"

He was the armed Templar, holding the cloaked man pressed against a wall, a dagger at his throat. His attention completely focused on the man he was holding up. "Belden."

"Rutherford. Fancy meeting you here." Belden replied, with a wry smile. "Would you mind letting me go?"

"Not until you explain yourself. What do you want with her?"

"That's between me and her." Belden replied calmly.

"Everything that has to do with her, has to do with me." Cullen pressed his dagger deeper, making Belden flinch as the blade pricked his skin. "I repeat. _What_ are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to her, that's all."

"What about?" Isra managed to collect herself enough after the initial shock of seeing Cullen again, to draw closer to the two of them, closing the door to the dormitory behind her. There was no need to wake up half the apprentices there after all.

Belden's attention shifted towards Isra. "Whitaker."

"What about him?"

"I heard you've been asking about him at the Knight-Captain's office today. I wanted to know why."

"Why?" Cullen asked in unison with her, which made her smile a little.

"Because he was my friend." Belden calmly answered, looking directly into Cullen's eyes as if daring him to deny that fact.

"You chose an odd place and time to talk. Why all the secrecy?" Isra asked, observing him carefully. He was fairly handsome in a dark, roguish kind of way, she noted to herself and appeared to be only a few years older than Cullen.

"I don't know whether you are aware, but Templars don't usually talk to apprentices in the middle of the day. So I had no choice but to approach you this way." Belden replied with a wry smile.

"I see. Let him go. Please."

Cullen nodded once and promptly let Belden go, causing him to land on his back side with a loud thud. "Sure."

"Ow! Thanks for that, Rutherford. Jerk."

"My pleasure." Cullen replied calmly as he moved away a little, still close enough to grab him again at the moment's notice, if the need would arise.

Slowly standing up, Belden turned his attention back to Isra. "Can we talk somewhere in private?"

"No." Cullen interjected, before Isra could make a sound.

"Sure. But he's coming with us." Isra added more reasonably, nudging her head into Cullen's direction.

Belden nodded hesitantly, clearly unhappy about their escort, who was now glowering at him in a way that would probably make Ser Malcom proud, Isra thought with a smile. For once, it was a relief to not be on the recipient side of a glowering Templar.

They moved a few steps down the corridor, into a small room containing cleaning supplies. For a brief moment Isra wondered at the bizzare nature of her current situation. Here she was in the middle of the night, squeezing into a cleaning closet with two – handsome - Templars in the middle of the night. It seemed so perverse and decadent if taken out of context.

"Can you do something about this?"

"Huh? Belden brought her out of her musings, waving his hands around clearly indicating at the lack of light. "Oh, a light spell of some kind?" She saw his head bob in reply. "Not unless you fancy having your pants set on fire. I'm terrible at those types of spells. Sorry." She added as an afterthought.

"Here." Cullen opened the door a little, sending a crack of light from the hallway back into the little room. "Now talk."

Belden sighed in annoyance. "Fine."

Cullen seemed to strategically place himself and her in a position, where they could observe Belden's reactions from the shadows, with the tiny ray of light shining directly and only on his face.

"So. Why were you asking Hadley about Whitaker?" Belden started, offering her an inquisitive look.

"I only wondered what his connection with Silani might have been. If there was any."

"Oh there was." Belden replied casually. "They were lovers."

"What?!" Both Cullen and her, asked in unison again.

"That's a bald statement." Isra added, trying to sound indifferent. Silani certainly never mentioned anything of the sort to her.

"It is. But it's also true." Belden continued evenly. "I know that because, he told me so and I've helped them get away with their secret little meetings more times than I could count. I covered up for him constantly."

"Nice story. Why should I believe it?"

He replied with a shrug. "Believe what you will. In any case, his murder is proof enough."

"Another bald statement. From what I heard today, he was killed in a drunken brawl." Isra replied, keeping her voice as devoid of emotions as she could manage.

"That's the official story, yes." Belden replied with a slow nod. "But I know the truth. And so did Silani. Why do you think they picked her as their target? They wanted to keep her quiet. The Knight-Commander doesn't look kindly on Templars murdering other Templars."

"And what was the motive behind the murder him?"

Belden shrugged. "I don't know. But he didn't drink, that was certain. Or indulge in tavern brawls. He was more of a quiet sort."

Somehow Isra didn't belie him. It was clear that he knew the reason behind Whitaker's murder, but for some reason refused to say it.

"And why exactly are you telling her this?" Cullen asked.

_I got myself into it, if you will believe it or not. And it's not something I want you to get involved with also_.

Excerpts from Silani's little rule book were starting to race through her mind. Perhaps there was some truth to Belden's words it after all.

"I'm telling her because I guess she deserved to know. And she had already found out about Whitaker on her own, so I wanted to stop her from going head long into a full on private little investigation. Silani was attacked to keep silent. What makes you think that she won't be? And if _I_ found out about her asking about him, how hard do you think it will be for them to find out the same thing?"

"Them? Who is them?"

"Who do you think?" Belden turned back to her.

"Do you know who they are?" Isra asked, calmly looking back at him.

He shook his head in reply. "No. Not all of them. But the ones I knew about already got caught."

"Hayes mentioned they managed to get most of them, yes."

"Most. But not all." Belden replied in a steady warning, that made Isra's skin crawl for its calmness. "So consider this a warning." He added, taking something out of his pocket. "Here. I brought you their letters. I figured you wouldn't believe me. I gather you'd recognise her writing?"

Isra nodded, her throat clenching as she accepted the proffered letters. "Yes."

"Good. And don't worry. They are not that explicit. I figure someone should have them, so keep them safe. Oh and Isra?" She saw him turn away, getting ready to leave before he stopped to look back at her. "Be careful. I wouldn't want you to end up like her."

"Don't worry. She won't." Cullen replied, a quiet menace clear in his voice, which surprised her. "How did you learn about her asking Hayes about Whitaker?"

Belden was clearly visible at this point, having opened the door to the small room they were hiding in, looking back with a slight smile. "Presley. He replaced Whitaker as my new roommate. Figured, I'd have some interest in the matter, after he overheard her asking. Take care." And with that he was off, leaving Isra staring at the place where he was standing only a few moments ago.

"So Rutherford, eh?" she asked after what seemed an enternity.

_Watch out around that young, curly Templar Ser Ruthferd, Ruthford something… he's been staring at your boobs a lot lately. And not only boobs, but your ass also. Actually he's been staring at all of you, looking all googly-eyed and whatnot. Be careful around him._

"Yes." Cullen answered quietly looking at her with a confused expression, clearly wondering about the reason for the question, but probably even more so at the reason behind her amused grin.

"I was warned about you." Isra replied, observing him from underneath her lashes, head cocked on her side.

"What?" His eyebrows slowly moved up in obvious astonishment and what seemed to be utter confusion flickered on his face, mouth slightly gaping. In a weird way, that made him look even cuter than he had ever looked before. Like a giant confused puppy, Isra thought in amusement. "By who?"

"It doesn't matter. Escort me back, will you? Please?" She added with a smile, turning away.

_I think I'm already in THAT mess, Silani. _Isra quietly thought to herself, commenting on a short advise Silani wrote in her last rule, as she headed back to her bed, hearing the reassuring sound of his footsteps following her.


	16. Chapter 16

**UPDATE: For anyone who's interested...the story now continues in part 2. ;)**

"He _what_?!" Mica exclaimed, clearly forgetting they were not alone in the Dormitory. They were again busy pretending that they were studying, keeping their heads low and their voices lower, even though there were only a few other apprentices in the Dormitory, sitting on the other side of the big hall, busy with their own studying.

"_Slammed_ the guy up against the wall." Isra repeated quietly, barely containing a grin at the memory. "I'm not exaggerating, he _did_."

Mica looked at her with a mix of disbelief and shock clearly readable on his face. "But…I mean….impressive. But…how …what was _he_ doing there?"

"You mean Cullen?"

Mica nodded again, puzzlement starting to manifest itself in his eyes. "It's awfully convenient, don't you think? For him to just…show up at the right time at the right place…I mean. There are two doors leading to your dormitory after all…"

"I pointed out that very fact to him when he escorted me back. He said he was reassigned back to his old duties of patrolling the hallways."

"Patrolling the hallway in front of your Dormitory in the middle of the night you mean. It doesn't sound like a dramatic change in his duties if you ask me…he still gets to protect you. "

Isra felt a blush creeping up her neck at his words. "He does. Apparently."

"Why do I get the feeling that something that you're not telling me about?" Mica asked suspicion clear in his voice. "Something between you two? Isra, please don't tell me you ended up making out or something."

She felt her blush starting to manifest itself in full force. Her face was becoming dangerously hot. "No! Nothing like that. He just escorted me back. That's all. Nothing happened."

"Uh-huh." He was looking at her with obvious scepticism in his eyes, one eyebrow raised.

_Nothing_ happened."

"I believe you. The regret in your voice is palpable."

Isra wished she could turn him into a toad or something. He was becoming thoroughly annoying by this point.

"Anyway. He was patrolling the hallway, so he found that Belden fellow sneaking about and followed him? Is that what happened?" He quickly continued clearly divining her thoughts.

"Something like that." Isra grumbled quietly back in reply." He got tipped off. By a friend. That someone was asking about me. My dormitory."

"You can't be serious."

Isra shrugged in reply. "Apparently Belden was as bad at performing his discreet inquiries about me, as he was at sneaking around."

"So Cullen knew that this Belden fellow was asking about you? Why did he let him go into the dormitory then in the first place? What if he turned out to be less harmless than he turned out to be?"

"He told me he was … detained. He didn't really go into the details. But he mentioned he was pretty worked up about it by the time he managed to get away. The rest was mostly a lucky coincidence. He was just about to enter the Dormitory when the door opened and you know the rest."

"Detained?"

Isra nodded. "Templar business. Oh, how they love to abuse that line. Probably a part of their training on how to be vague. But since its Cullen…I'm inclined to believe him."

"I bet you are." He quickly bit of the rest of his comment, lifting his hands in surrender as he noticed the dark look she was sending him. "Just kidding, just kidding. Well it certainly explains his approach to the matter. Slamming a guy up against the wall…"

Isra nodded with a slight smile. "It was quite impressive. He seems so capable when he is angry or performing his duty. Anyway…" she cleared her throat, averting her gaze as she noticed an amused smile growing on Mica's face. "That Belden guy wanted to give me this." She pulled out the letters from her pocket and offered them to Mica. "Apparently Silani was in love with that Whitaker fellow. And he reciprocated the sentiment. These are their letters. Belden was his friend, so he kept them after his…death."

"Silani was involved with a Templar?" Mica sked incredulously.

Isra nodded, observing his reaction carefully. "Disappointed you weren't the only man in her life?"

He returned her the dark look from before, taking the letters, slowly shuffling them around. "I never was a man in her life in the first place. I'm just…surprised."

"I understand how you feel. It appears Silani hid a lot of things from us." Isra said, leaning back into her chair. "But I don't think it was because she didn't trust us. That Whitaker found out something, something that got him killed. And there is a high probability that Silani knew about it, which was why she was attacked. To keep her quiet. After all its way easier to kill of a Templar than an apprentice. Imagine all the questions."

"And yet they attacked you in the middle of the hallway."

Isra suppressed a shudder at the memory. "They probably thought I knew it too. Or at least that I was dangerously close to finding it out."

"I wonder what could be worth killing so many people over. Risking so much and destroying so many lives?"

Isra shrugged again, letting out the breath she was holding. "It makes one wonder if it's worth finding out and risking your own life for it. I doubt there is anything in the letters though. I imagine Belden wouldn't give them to me otherwise."

"Which brings us right to the important stuff. Why did he give them to you? Why now? I'm probably a little paranoid by this point, but I find this highly suspicious."

"He was very vague about it when I asked him. But I agree. It's all very suspicious. First of all, he indicated that he knew the reason behind Whitaker's death, but he wouldn't reveal it. Silani knew about it too and she was attacked to keep silent. And let's not forget Whitaker was killed for it. I doubt that those responsible, whoever they are, hadn't already discovered that Belden knew it too. Especially if his lack of ability at posing discreet inquiries is any indication. By now, probably every Templar who is interested knows that he was asking about me."

"Exactly. But do you think that he could be doing it on purpose? Being so careless. He is literally painting a target on your back."

"I've already got a nice big target on my back, remember? It's the reason why I have a bodyguard in the first place."

"So…what if they found out that he knows about that…thing, whatever it is, so now he is trying to shift their focus back on to you? To protect himself. Maybe these letters aren't as innocent as he tried to indicate. Perhaps they do contain some sort of crucial or revealing information."

"We won't know until we read them and I'm really not all that excited to go and rummage through Silani's private correspondence. Besides, if he knew something, he'd probably be already dead. Unless…" Isra leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "And here comes the second part of my speculation – he is involved somehow. Perhaps he knows that information because he is working with them. He said he didn't want to reveal anything to protect me. That he gave me the letters so I'd stop asking, to prevent me from getting myself tangled in a worse mess. But, his warning … it sounded almost as if he was threatening me. The way he looked at me…it was. Unnerving."

Mica remained silent for a few moments, shuffling the letters in his hands. "How did he find out about you asking around for Whitaker?"

"Apparently Hadley's aide is his roommate. And he overheard me asking about Whitaker."

Mica leaned back mirroring her own pose, sighing heavily. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"You're not the only one."

"So Hadley is gone. You've got only one bodyguard – who supposedly is reliable, but he is only one man and can't watch you the whole time. The official investigation is halted, but it was closing in on the main perpetrators... and now all the changes in the duty roster due to the Blight…. This would be the perfect time to strike. The last chance to halt the whole thing, and turn the odds back into their favour. And right before Hadley leaves, this Belden guy visits you to warn you… you see where I'm getting at?"

Isra nodded, grimacing at the thought. "Shit is about to go down?"

"Exactly." He was obviously worried and as unsettled as she was at that fact. "I suggest you keep low. Keep your body guard close and make a point to avoid being alone or potentially vulnerable at any time."

Isra nodded again. "I will. But watch yourself also, will you? You're involved in this mess now." She had only now started to realise the danger of the situation. For many months she had dismissed it, or ignored it, not even allowing all those warnings to register. Until now.

"I will." He assured her with a smile. "We'll make it through this."

**\- o . O . o -**

The next couple of days went by in a blur. Isra fell into a boring, yet rigorous routine of waking up with first light and going to sleep with the sun, studying and practicing spells the whole time she was awake. The uneventful routine even had some impact upon Ser Malcom, whose constant glare was slowly being replaced by a look of complete and utter boredom.

By the fourth day Isra's enthusiasm and will for learning were completely depleted, so she turned back to reading fiction in a last effort to distract herself from all the possible threats, praying fervently for Hayes' and Hadley's safe return. She tried to read Silani's letters but she was unable to do so. She felt dirty reading them, their private nature laid bare for her to see and the only thing they proved for certain was the fact that Silani and her unlucky Templar genuinely loved each other.

There were times she felt as if she was being watched. She imagined the Templars responsible for the death of Whitaker and Silani's abuse waiting for her around the corner to make the wrong move, to find her unprotected. She made a point of being extra careful, constantly aware of the people around her and any potential threats they could pose, which was why she almost immediately noticed the three Templars now walking towards her little secluded spot in the library.

She carefully stood up, transfixed by the sight of the approaching group. There was no doubt in her mind that they came for her the only question was which group of Templars was it. The good guys, or the bad?

Ser Malcom moved almost at the same time as she did, leisurely interposing himself between her and the oncoming group.

"MacTavish." The leader said with a nod, addressing her bodyguard.

"Perry." Ser Malcom replied with a court nod.

Perry was the only one without a helmet, which calmed her down enough, to be able to take another breath – she had serious doubts that if this Perry fellow intended to do her harm, he wouldn't do so prancing about without a helmet covering up his identity.

"We've come for the apprentice. Knight-Commander's orders." Perry replied calmly in a voice that sounded almost bored. He didn't seem intent on doing harm, but that didn't prevent her heart from stopping for a few moments at hearing this.

Isra forced herself to take another slow breath. It was not the Harrowing. It couldn't be. She was still a year off, too young. And they never came for the apprentice in the middle of the day. "Why?" Her voice sounded weak, scared even to her own ears.

Perry looked back at her again, calmly. A bland, red-headed man he didn't seem threatening at the least. "I'm not at liberty to say." His reply was short, but polite.

Isra took another breath, glancing back at Ser Malcom, who seemed as surprised as she was at this development. He nodded to her once, indicating that she should oblige Perry and then turned back towards him. "All right, we'll go. Led the way." He said it in a way that made it clear, that he would be coming along, almost challenging Perry to object. Perry only nodded, his face remaining impassive as he turned around expecting them to follow him.

Isra forced her legs to move, barely keeping herself from shaking visibly as the other two Templars fell in beside her, Ser Malcom following them in the rear. She felt the eyes of every single mage and apprentice in the library following her exit as she went by.

**\- o . O . o -**

She was lead to the Knight Commander's office, which was now hosting a rather frightening amount of Templars covered in blood. She froze to the spot at the sight of the mess, causing the hairs all over her body prickle in fear. One of the two Templars escorting her grabbed her by the arm impatiently, dragging her out of her stupor, nearly sending her flying into the office.

"That is quite unnecessary!"

She registered Irving's voice coming from her side, sounding appalled and angry, causing the Templar who held her, to quickly release her and guide her in more gently. Isra quickly took in the haggard appearance of the people around her, both Gregoir and Irving were also covered in blood and looking exhausted as if they could barely stand on their feet.

Isra swallowed heavily, forcing herself to speak. "What happened?"

"Did you know your friend was a blood mage?" The Knight Commander asked cutting right to the chase in an accusatory tone.

Isra stared him in disbelief. Did he really just ask her that? For a few moments she was completely unable to speak, standing gaping at him like a landed fish, unable to produce a sound. "_What_?" She finally managed to croak.

"Were you aware of his plans to escape?" The Knight-Commander continued, relentless, returning her stare with his piercing gaze as if trying to see the answer inside her head.

She forced herself to swallow, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she looked up back at him. "Wh-which friend?"

"Jowan." Irving replied quietly, observing her as intently as the Knight-Commander, but with a little less ferocity.

"He tried to escape? When?" Isra's ability to think finally returned back as the initial shock was replaced by surprise.

"He didn't try, he succeeded. With the help of blood magic. This…" The Knight-Commander waved a hand around him, indicating the blood stained people standing in the office around him. "…is his handy work."

"_Jowan's_?" Isra asked her surprise turning into by this point shock. The thought of Jowan being able to create this bloody mess seemed unfathomable.

The Knight-Commander gave her a curt nod in reply, still observing her every move. "What do you know of…" He seemed to be searching for a name, glancing at Irving for help. "Mica's involvement?" the First-Enchanter completed the question in his stead.

"Mica was involved with this?" the incredulity she heard in her voice didn't even come close to the disbelief she felt at that statement. "Nothing." She cleared her throat, trying to steady her voice and cover up her own feelings of betrayal that were starting to bubble up under the surface. "I know nothing about any kind of escape plan. Neither of them told me anything about it." How could they hide something like that from her? _Why_ would they hide it from her? Especially Mica.

"So you were unaware of any of this?" The Knight-Commander asked.

"Yes." Isra replied under her breath, Gregoir's words felt like salt on an open wound. Why would Mica keep her in the dark about this? How could he betray her like that? Leave her behind?

"What a mess." The Knight-Commander said with a tired sigh, and a small nod that she barely perceived, lost in her own inner turmoil. No, he wouldn't hide it from her. He'd probably had a good reason to do so.

"Is he…did he escape along with him? Mica… I mean." Isra asked, her voice sounding pathetically weak even to her own ears.

"No. The mage is in currently in our custody."

"The mage?"

"Mica passed his Harrowing the night before." Irving replied calmly, focusing his attention back to the Knight-Commander, who was whispering something to him under his breath.

"What?" her voice was pathetically week by this point. "I… didn't know." But nobody was listening to her anymore. She stood there in silence, staring at her feet feeling close to breaking down in tears. When did that happened? What in the Maker's name was going on!?

"All right." Irving's voice brought her back to the events enfolding in front of her. She blinked away the tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks, swallowing her own feelings of abandonment and looked up at his face.

"Is he…is he all right?"

Irving regarded her with a sad gaze, which confirmed exactly what she was afraid of the most. Oh, Maker please don't let them kill him. Don't let them turn him into a tranquil. Please, I can't lose him too.

Irving's eyes were kind, compassionate as he stepped towards her, offering her a hand. "Come now child. Do not be afraid."

Isra nodded courtly and took it, letting herself be guided out of the office. She had no idea what awaited her, but at this point she didn't really care. Whatever it was she would face it head on. Alone.

_Maker, please let him be all right._

* * *

_So, this is it folks. The end of the first part. _

_I hope you enjoyed reading it, as much as I did writing it. It was a fun ride, even though it was not completely without it's challenges._

_Now I'm off to greener pastures - finally some vacation time (yay! and yes this is also the reason why I'm posting it so early) and then more work, but I will return sometime next month with the second part, so feel free to join in and see what else is in store for our star crossed lovers. _

_In the meanwhile, have a wonderful few weeks and I hope I'll see you around again. (well...not exactly see. You know the sentiment...ok I'm shutting up now.)_

_Adiós... for now._ :)


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